Washington Nationals and Houston Astros to Be Part of Some Unique Baseball History This Spring
The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals will play a historic spring training contest coming up on February 24th.
That's the day that Jen Pawol will serve as an umpire, becoming the first woman to be assigned to a Major League spring training game since 2007.
Per @MLB on social media;
Triple-A umpire Jen Pawol is scheduled to work Major League Spring Training. She will be the first woman umpire assigned to Major League Spring Training games since 2007.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN had the note about the date being February 24.
Following up on this, Pawol's first game will be between the Nats and Astros in W. Palm on Feb. 24
That's certainly good news for everyone. For Pawol, it's a big step forward as she looks to make it to the big leagues. Rogers reports that she'll start the year in Triple-A and will have a chance to join the big leagues this season.
Next, it's good for baseball in general. As the sport works to become more inclusive, having more female coaches and umpires is a good way to prove that the sport is succeeding in its efforts.
As for the teams involved? They are at two very different places. The Astros are coming off a season in which they got to the ALCS, losing in seven games to the Texas Rangers. They remain possible favorites for the World Series in the American League.
As for the Nationals, they finished last in the National League East in 2023. Though they have some nice pieces and are rebuilding, they are slated for a similar finish this year.
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