Later today, a woman is scheduled to umpire a regular season major league game for the first time.  Jen Pawol, who has been a minor-league umpire since 2016, is being called up for a doubleheader between the Marlins and the Braves, working the bases in place of the home plate umpires, who only work the one game.  She is then slated to work behind the plate for Sunday’s series finale.

Pawol, a 48-year-old graduate of Hofstra University, worked spring training games in 2024, becoming the first woman to do so since 2007. She is only the third woman to ever umpire a major-league spring training game.  She also became a crew chief in the International League last season.

MLB is behind the times in this area.  The NBA had its first female referee debut 28 years ago, while the NFL has had female officials for the past ten years.  Hopefully this leads to more opportunities for interested women to find a career in baseball.