Jen Pawol is making history as the first female umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). She will be part of the five-team umpire crew for this weekend’s Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins series, which includes a doubleheader on Saturday. This marks her first regular-season MLB game and makes her the first woman to officiate a game in the league.
Pawol, 47, comes from a softball background and played college softball at Hofstra University. She began her umpire career in 2016 and worked her way up the minor league ranks to Triple-A in 2023. Last season, she became the first woman to umpire a Triple-A championship game.
Pawol’s MLB experience includes working a spring training game for the Houston Astros in 2024, where she became the first female umpire to do so since 2007. She is one of 17 current Triple-A umpires eligible to serve as a substitute in Major League games.
“I greatly appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm, and my welcoming attitude on the field was very special,” Pawol said after her spring training game. “Both managers shared congratulations and were welcoming, along with my partners and players.”
Pawol will be behind the plate for the Braves and Marlins series finale on August 10 at Truist Park in Atlanta. She will work each of the final three games of the series with the crew.
This milestone is part of a larger trend of women breaking down barriers in professional sports, following in the footsteps of notable female officials such as Violet Palmer (NBA) and Sarah Thomas (NFL).
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2025/08/06/jen-pawol-mlb-first-female-umpire-braves-marlins/85545014007