Jen Pawol has been confirmed as the first woman to umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB).
On Wednesday, August 6, the league announced that the 48-year-old would be overlooking the games between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves over the weekend.
As per MLB, Pawol is set to work the mound on Saturday in a doubleheader at Truist Park and will catch on Sunday.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, while appreciating the efforts made by the league, noted, "Baseball’s done a great job of being completely inclusive. I’ll be watching. It's good for the game."
Pawol worked spring training in 2024 and became the first woman to do so since Rio Cortesio in 2007.
The New Jersey-based umpire was an all-state softball and soccer player in New Jersey for three seasons in each sport at West Milford High School.
She went to Hofstra on a softball scholarship, went on to become a three-time all-conference pick and was on the USA Baseball women's national baseball team in 2001.
The MLB's move came 28 years after the gender barrier for game officials was broken in the NBA, 10 years after it ended in the NFL and three years after the men's soccer World Cup employed a female referee.
Notably, the NHL still has not had any women on-ice officials for the games.
