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6h ago

Jen Pawol to Become First Woman Umpire in MLB Regular Season Games

She will work the bases for Saturday’s Miami Marlins–Atlanta Braves doubleheader at Truist Park before taking the home-plate assignment on Sunday.

Umpire Jen Pawol takes her position during the first inning of a 2024 spring training game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.
8/6/25
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Overview

  • MLB called up Pawol from Triple-A to fulfill the fifth-umpire requirement for Saturday’s doubleheader, making her the first woman to umpire an MLB regular-season game.
  • Pawol began her professional umpiring career in the Gulf Coast League in 2016 and reached Triple-A in 2023, where she became the first woman to umpire its championship game.
  • In 2024 she became the first female umpire in an MLB spring training game since 2007 and returned for spring assignments again this year.
  • Commissioner Rob Manfred hailed her promotion as a testament to her hard work and a sign of the league’s broader diversity initiatives.
  • Her debut brings baseball into alignment with leagues that integrated female officials earlier, including the NBA, NFL and FIFA’s Men’s World Cup.