Pawol first woman to ump spring training game since 2007
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. • It took eight years, but Jen Pawol made the leap from the minors to a major-league spring training contest as umpire at the Grapefruit League opener between the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals at Cacti Park of The Palm Beaches on Saturday.
Pawol’s spring training debut marked the first time since 2007 that a woman umpired a major-league spring training game, last done by Ria Cortesio. Pawol was stationed at third base. After the traditional pregame meeting with the umpires and managers at home plate, the group posed for pictures. Nationals manager Dave Martinez shook Pawol’s hand and chatted with her briefly.
Eight years ago, Pawol, a former New Jersey high school softball star who played at Hofstra, became just the seventh women to umpire a minor-league baseball game.
“I greatly appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm, everyone’s welcoming attitude on the field,” Pawol said. “Tonight was very, very special. Both managers shared congratulations, (everyone was) welcoming, enthusiastic. The players on the field, so many said congrats and great to see you up here.”
Across the next few weeks, Pawol, 47, will be based in Palm Beach County to work other spring training games. No woman has ever been assigned to umpire a regular-season game in the majors.
On Sunday, Pawol worked behind the plate in Jupiter for the Nationals-marlins game. She has no timetable on when she might work a regular-season contest.
With a rotation set for every three innings, Pawol switched to second base in the fourth. She then went to first base in the seventh inning, where she saw her most action. She called out two straight Astros batters off groundouts in the top of the seventh.
“Anybody in baseball will tell you to keep it simple and work hard, put your all into it and get ready for the next day,” she said.
MLB’S move comes 27 years after the gender barrier for game officials was broken in the NBA, nine years after it ended the NFL and two years after the men’s World Cup employed a female referee.
“This is a viable career becoming a professional umpire — men and women, girls and boys,” she said. “I didn’t know that the first several years when I got into umpiring in amateur ball for 10 years.”
Pam Postema, who worked in the 1970s and 1980s, became the first woman to umpire a spring training game.
“It’s in my DNA,” Pawol said.