No Ejections Or Arguments Mar Debut Of First Female Umpire

In her first day on the job, female umpire Jen Pawol visits with Atlanta third base coach Fredi Gonzalez. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

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Atlanta was the perfect place to introduce the first female umpire.

Bobby Cox, who managed the Braves for 29 years in two separate stints, was ejected by umpires 158 times during the regular season and three more times in the post-season.

Jen Pawol didn’t eject anyone in her Aug. 9 debut, when she umpired at first base in the opener of a day/night doubleheader between the Braves and visiting Miami Marlins and moved to third for the nightcap.

Nor did she provoke or participate in any arguments over her ball-and-strike calls when she worked home plate in the Sunday afternoon series finale.

Now – except for her ponytail – she’s one of the guys, though maybe not quite one of the “men in blue.”

Long Road

Pawol, 48, has been a minor-league umpire for 10 years, starting in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2016.

“It was pretty amazing when we took the field, and it seemed like quite a few people started clapping and saying my name, so that was pretty intense and very emotional,” she told The Atlanta Journal Constitution between games Saturday.

“When we walked the field [is when it hit me],” Pawol said. “We walked early as a crew, and Gooch [crew chief Chris Guccione] and I were looking at each other, and I said, ‘This is it! This is what we worked for!’

“I think it hit me then and we had a really special moment at the end where I went through the final pitcher check for the top of the ninth. We kind of hugged and it really hit me.”

Umpires are supposed to be anonymous figures, people needed to preside over a game but not get attention from fans in the ballpark.

They are routinely criticized, booed, and yelled at – especially when their calls go against the home team – but never applauded.

Until now.

Fans Applaud

When Pawol’s name was read over the public address system at Truist Park, she not only received applause but a standing ovation. Like Jackie Robinson in 1947, she had not only cracked a glass ceiling but shattered it.

Called up from the minors earlier in the week, Pawol described herself as “a fully charged battery ready to go.”

She admitted she was overcome with emotion – a feeling neutral umpires rarely enjoy.

“It was super emotional to finally be living that phone call that I’d been hoping for and working towards for quite a while,” Pawol told The Associated Press, “and I just felt super full.”

The New Jersey native said reaching the major leagues was like a dream come true.

“It was just incredible,” she said. “I’m so grateful to my family and to Major League Baseball for creating such an amazing work environment.

“To all the umpires I work with … it’s been just an amazing camaraderie. We’re working hard but we’re having fun. I am so thankful.”

Saturday wasn’t the first time the Major League trailblazer saw her name etched in baseball’s record books.

Pawol became the first woman to umpire a Triple-A championship in 2023 and the first in 34 years to work a Triple-A game earlier that season. A year later, she also became the first woman since 2007 to umpire a spring training exhibition game.

Later that year, she reached MLB’s Umpire Call-Up list — after working more than 1,200 games in the minors.

Softball Start

A one-time softball player who got her start as a softball umpire, Pawol had pointed herself toward the big leagues in what seemed like a Quixotic quest. Established umpire Ted Barrett saw her and invited her to umpire camp but warned it could take 10 years to reach the majors – if she ever did.

Other women – notably Pam Postema and Bernice Gera – tried and failed.

But Pawol, a three-time All-Conference selection as a catcher for Hofstra, had perseverance.

Now she’s the female version of Jackie Robinson: if she succeeds, she will create a new avenue for other women who want to be involved in baseball.

There’s one woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame already – former Newark Bears owner Effa Manley – and several who work as broadcasters, publicists, executives, and even uniformed coaches. But Pawol is the first and only umpire.

She’s in a League Of Her Own.

“Its been absolutely unbelievable,” said Pawol, whose supporters include fellow umpires as well as players, coaches, managers and even a female arbiter from another sport (NFL referee Sarah Thomas). “It’s been blowing up my phone.

Pawol’s seven seasons umping NCAA softball (2010-16) were her ticket to MLB Umpire Camp in Vero Beach, the one-time spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One of her biggest boosters has been Guccione, who revealed that his daughter wanted to meet the first female ump.

“This is one of the proudest moments I’ve had in my career,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with working playoffs, two World Series, and All-Star Games, but this is right up there. It gives me chills even thinking about it.

“This is just a great role model for girls and women. She’s an incredible person who works hard but also likes to have fun.”

Between games of the Saturday twinbill, Pawol and Guccione met reporters and posed for photographers. She also sent the cap she wore in her first game to the Hall of Fame.

The trek to the majors is arduous, she admitted.

“I’m aware of the gravity, I’m aware of the magnitude,” Pawol said earlier. “I believe that I’m going to be a very good steward and representative for young girls and women, and boys and men, that this is possible.”

Her advice to other young women is simple: give it a try.

“It’s a long road, not an overnight road, and not one promotion,” she said. “There are countless things that you have to do do. And I think a lot of people give up along that road.”

Financial Benefits

Compared to players, umpires don’t make a lot of money – especially in the minors. But if they’re among the handful who reach the big leagues, starting pay is usually about $150,000. That increases to more than $450,000 as arbiters accrue service time.

Al Clark, who umpired in the majors for 26 years, revealed in his autobiographical Called Out But Safe that he chose the profession rather than follow in the footsteps of his sportswriter dad.

“I wanted to eat steak and not hamburger,” he said.