The Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
The double header will require a fifth umpire to join the crew for the weekend series, and Major League Baseball is calling up Jen Pawol.
Pawol will become the first female umpire in regular-season history. She will be working the bases in each of Saturday’s games, and will be behind the plate on Sunday.
“Pawol has steadily climbed the umpiring ranks since beginning her pro career in Rookie ball in 2016,” wrote MLB.com’s Brian Murphy.
“She reached Triple-A in 2023, becoming the first female umpire at that level in 34 years.
She was the home-plate ump for the Triple-A Championship that September.
In 2024, Pawol became the first female umpire in a Spring Training game since Ria Cortesio in 2007. She was a Triple-A crew chief in ’24 and worked more Spring Training games in 2025.”
The MLB will join the National Basketball Association and the National Football League by calling up Pawol.
The NBA and NFL have both featured female officials for years.
The Braves and Marlins are not playing for much in the standings, but Pawol’s debut is a historic moment for the league. Suddenly, a matchup between two teams seemingly out of contention will be part of a milestone moment.
After years of calling games at the minor league level, Pawol will get to make her debut in the big leagues. According to Murphy, she was one of 17 umpires at the Triple-A level eligible to be called up.
