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Jen Pawol made history over the weekend by becoming the first female umpire to call a regular season Major League Baseball contest. That appearance came during a lengthy set between NL East rivals Atlanta and Miami.
Pawol set up behind the plate for the series finale. Her day got off to a rough start.
Pawol is the first female ump to ever call balls and strikes for an MLB matchup. There was much anticipation for the historic first pitch.
Unfortunately, she missed the mark on that opening delivery. She made an immediate enemy in the process!
Jen Pawol got her first call wrong.
Jen Pawol continued to make history today, becoming the first ever woman to call an MLB game behind home plate on this pitch
pic.twitter.com/dD9zxP0pFo— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 10, 2025
Braves starting pitcher Joey Wentz’s first pitch missed a few inches inside. Pawol called it a strike. Marlins hitter Xavier Edwards was visibly peeved.
While there wasn’t much argument, Edwards turned in disgust after hearing the ‘strike’ call. Luckily, it wouldn’t impact the at-bat.
The leadoff hitter singled on his next pitch. No harm, no foul. The umpire turned her day around after the first miss.
How did Pawol grade?
Final: Marlins 1, Braves 7
Umpire: Jen Pawol#MarlinsBeisbol // #BravesCountry#MIAvsATL // #ATLvsMIA
Missed Balls: https://t.co/hvC9SpXs5F
Missed Strikes: https://t.co/BQnb3jZYZN
Video may not be available immediately after the game pic.twitter.com/2ik4TXC5fp— BallsAndStrikes (@umpstrikezone) August 10, 2025
Jen Pawol was 92% on pitches following that first miss. For reference, the league average is right around 94%.
She was 93% on calls more than one inch out of the zone, a number that needs improvement, but all in all, it was a relatively typical performance. Given the weight of the situation, and it being her first ever game, that’s impressive.
Miami pitcher Cal Quantrill says Pawol did a “quality job.” He believes she should be proud of her performance. Atlanta starter Joey Wentz echoed those sentiments.
Who is Jen Pawol?
The woman that made history has a notable background in baseball. She was also the first female to umpire a Triple-A championship game.
She was the seventh female minor league blue. She was the third female to umpire a Spring Training game. Now, she has MLB under her belt.
Prior to her umpiring career, she was a star player on the Hofstra softball team. On three occasions, she was recognized as all-conference. Pawol was then named to Team USA’s women’s national baseball team.
Her umpiring career started in 2010, though at the NCAA level in softball. She tried out for the MLB a few years later, and the rest is history.
A landmark day for women in baseball and another Diamond Dream achieved.
Jen Pawol is donating the cap she wore in her @MLB umpiring debut to the Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/davkgjMAW5
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) August 9, 2025
Jen Pawol donated her cap from earlier in the weekend to the Hall of Fame. She will now have a place in the record books. Her appearance was groundbreaking.
She’ll look forward to breaking down more barriers as her career continues.