Jen Pawol, the first female umpire in Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball, the oldest professional sports group in the United States dating back to 1876, has the distinction of being the first sports organization to break the color barrier in 1947 when Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson.

Nearly 30 years later, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson became the first non-white manager in baseball.

So one would think that MLB would continue their trailblazing ways in other facets of the game; for example, hiring female umpires.  Not until August 9 of this year did MLB have one.  Her name:  Jen Pawol.

Other sports beat baseball to this breakthrough by several years.  The National Basketball Association (est. 1946) hired their first female referees in 1997:  Dee Kanter and Violet Palmer.  The National Football League (est. 1920) hired their first female official in 2015:  Sarah Thomas.

Baseball was the first, however, when it came to hiring the first female general manager of any sport: Kim Ng of the Miami Marlins in 2020.

Last Saturday, Pawol umpired at first base for the Marlins-Braves game in Atlanta.  Some of the fans applauded her as she walked onto the field.  Many of the players wished her well.

At her postgame press conference, Pawol was genuinely appreciative of the support MLB, her family and friends and even fans have shown her.  She did not hide her thrill of having her dream come true, 10 years in the making. 

“I always wanted to umpire.  I knew I had the bug . . . in my DNA.  Then making it into a career I realized, wow, I could be a major leaguer.”

Umpire crew chief Gene Guccione who was sitting next to Pawol said that “This is one of the proudest moments I’ve been part of in my career.” 

When asked what was the most special moment for her, she said it was “pretty powerful and awesome” to see her friends and family in the stands.

I’m sure there are people who oppose female umpires.  Yet, why prevent someone who can do a job to do that job?  When I saw her emotions describing her journey, I couldn’t help but think of how inspirational it must be to all the little girls who play or watch sports, to see that someone that looks like them can umpire baseball?

Guccione added that “it gives me chills even thinking about . . .the magnitude of this whole thing and how hard she’s worked.  My daughter was so excited to meet Jen.  [She’s] a great role model for girls and women and I am so proud of her.”

One other thing crossed my mind.  How fans regularly despise any sports officials whose job it is to maintain order in a game.  How often their decisions are heckled.  These people are paid the least amount of money in sports played by millionaires and receive little to no respect.  Yet here is Jen Pawol at age 48 putting herself into the fire, not knowing how she will be received or accepted, exuding joy at just being given the opportunity to do something that she loves. 

The cap she wore umpiring is headed to Cooperstown.  I can’t wait to see it next time I visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.