A Woman Is About To Make Major League Baseball History, And She Isn't Even On A Team
This might actually get me to watch a game for once!
Debby Wong | Shutterstock It's often said there's nothing more American than baseball (except for maybe apple pie, of course), and it's always been a man's game. They're not called "the boys of summer" for nothing, of course. But now that's all about to change, in one regard anyway. No, there are no women joining a baseball team, but one woman is about to step into a vital baseball role for the first time in major league baseball history.
Jen Pawol is about to become the first-ever MLB umpire.
When Jen Pawol of New Jersey steps onto the field this weekend for a doubleheader between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves at Georgia's Truist Park, it will certainly not be her first rodeo: She has been working as a baseball umpire for ages.
Pawol, 48, has previously worked as an umpire during MLB spring training in both 2024 and 2025, the first woman to do so since Ria Cortesio back in 2007. But the Marlins-Braves games will be an even bigger milestone, the first time she or any other woman has graced the field in an official Major League Baseball umpire capacity.
The NFL, NBA, and World Cup soccer have all had female referees for years.
Pawol's rise to the big leagues is a long-overdue shift in Major League Baseball. World Cup Soccer has had female referees for three years, the NFL for a decade, and the NBA has had female refs for a staggering 28 years, when Violet Palmer officiated a 1997 game between the Vancouver Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.
Typically, women have been relegated to the minor leagues in baseball. That's where Cortesio, for instance, spent most of her career until it ended in 2007. Or, they've worked in the NCAA and other college-level baseball leagues.
Christian Bertrand | Shutterstock | Canva Pro
Pawol is, in fact, a veteran of both umpiring NCAA softball from 2010 to 2016 and then heading to an MLB umpire training camp in 2015. She landed a job in the minors from that stint, with the Gulf Coast League in Florida and the South.
She broke new ground in her career in the minors as well, rising through the ranks to Triple-A status in 2023, the first female umpire to do so in more than three decades.
Baseball officials have praised Pawol's accomplishment as an example for women and girls.
Pawol's career really began with her own stint as an athlete, playing softball at Hofstra University and spending a decade in the Amateur Softball Association at the Major Fast Pitch level, the highest competitive level in the division.
Later, she was getting a teaching degree in upstate New York while continuing to play ball on the side, when she realized she wanted more. "I wasn’t really satisfied,” she said in 2024. “Coming off of a huge competitive career, just playing locally, I wasn’t getting my fix. And I remember looking at the umpire and being like, I think that’s it. I got to go for that."
Cut to 2025 when she's making her major league debut, and officials in the sport have made clear that they're thrilled to have her. In a statement, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association congratulated Pawol, saying that her debut "represents more than a personal milestone for Jen; it is a groundbreaking step for our profession and for the continued advancement of women in sports."
The MLBUA went on to say they hope Pawol's stint will create more opportunities for women in umpiring. It's surely a proud moment for a woman who said last year that the sport of baseball is her life's biggest inspiration. "For me, personally, I just love doing the job," she said in 2016. "I'm passionate about it, and it's just part of who I am."
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
