Umpire Jen Pawol earns praise after her day behind the plate

Umpire Jen Pawol had already written her name into the history books on Saturday when she became the first female umpire to officiate a regular-season major league game.
The 48-year old rover umpire was stationed at third and first bases for the doubleheader between the Miami Marlins and the host Atlanta Braves. But the real test would occur on Sunday, when Pawol crouched behind catchers Sean Murphy (Braves) and Liam Hicks (Marlins) to call balls and strikes in the series finale.
Atlanta scored the game’s final seven runs and triumphed 7-1, but even losing manager Clayton McCullough felt Pawol was more than up to the task.
“I think Jen did a really nice job,” McCullough said. “I think she’s very composed back there. She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her. Big day for Major League Baseball. I congratulated her again on that because it’s quite the accomplishment.”
Pawol called 47 strikes, compared to 34 swinging strikes, including a 15-5 breakdown for Braves’ starter and winner Joey Wentz.
When asked about Pawol’s calls, Wentz said, “I try not to focus on the zone, to be honest with you. … I thought it was good though.”
As a roving umpire, Pawol’s next MLB assignment is unknown.
She is a 10-year minor league umpiring veteran, beginning in the Gulf Coast League in 2016. She earned the assignment in the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and worked major league spring training games in 2024 and 2025.
“I wish her the best moving forward as she continues to, I’m sure, hopefully one day be up full time, you know, a permanent big league umpire,” McCullough said.