Jen Pawol to Make MLB History As First Woman to Umpire MLB Game

Ryan Phillips | Aug 6, 2025

Jen Pawol will become the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball game this weekend. / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Jen Pawol is set to make Major League Baseball history this weekend.

The 48-year-old will become the first woman to work as an umpire during a regular-season MLB game. She will umpire three games during the series between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. That will include both games of a doubleheader on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday. She will be behind the plate calling balls and strikes on Sunday.

Due to the doubleheader, the umpiring crew needed to add a fifth umpire, which led to Pawol getting the assignment.

Pawol began umpiring professionally in 2016 at rookie ball, then steadily began climbing up the ranks. In '23, she became the first woman to umpire at the Triple A level in 34 years. She was behind the plate during the Triple A championship that fall.

In 2024, Pawol was the first woman to umpire a spring training game since '07, and she was a Triple A crew chief that season. She has a long track record during a steady climb to the big leagues.

Pawol played softball at Hofstra and was a member of the U.S. women's national baseball team that won the inaugural Baseball Women's World Series in 2001.

She has already broken barriers in her career as an umpire. She's set to make more history this weekend.

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