Jen Pawol took the Truist Park field Saturday morning for a pregame walk with the umpiring crew.
And a few minutes into the trek, she turned toward the crew chief in awe — for it finally hit Pawol that she was moments from making history.
“This is it,” Pawol told crew chief Chris Guccione, as she looked around the empty ballpark. “This is what we worked for.”
Pawol made history on Saturday afternoon as MLB’s first female umpire, manning first base in the Braves’ 7-1 victory over the Marlins. Her game-worn hat will be displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, to cement the moment.
“This is one of the proudest moments I’ve been part of in all my career,” said Guccione, noting he’s worked two World Series and multiple All-Star games. “This one is right up there. It gives me chills, just even thinking about it and the magnitude. It kind of hit me just now, the magnitude of this whole thing and how hard she’s worked.”
Pawol showed excitement about earning her opportunity — the smile on her face after the game demonstrated that — but so did the crowd of 35,664.
The fans serenaded Pawol with an ovation after her name was announced as a part of the four-member umpiring crew and cheered again upon seeing her face on the big screen.
They even created signs, ranging from “History made” to “Welcome to the show.”
“The dream actually came true today,” Pawol said. “And I’m still living in it.”
Pawol hails from New Jersey, but many of her friends and family — including fellow umpires — made the trip to Atlanta. She said it was “pretty powerful” to look into the crowd and see them occupying the seats.
And even though Pawol had lost contact with some of her attendees, they still showed up to watch her achieve her dream.
“I’m blown away,” Pawol said by the number of family and friends in attendance. “When I looked up, they weren’t in the low tier, like in the minor leagues where you can just see them right away. It took me a while. (Guccione) pointed them out. I’ll never forget (it). That was absolutely just awesome.”
Pawol was involved in the action in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, even making a few close calls. One occurred in the third inning when catcher Sean Murphy reached base on a fielder’s choice. Pawol ruled that Murphy beat the throw, and the Marlins did not challenge it.
“She called me safe, so I liked that,” said Murphy, who congratulated Pawol during Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep’s first substance check. “I’m used to umpires calling me out at first base, so that was good.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Pawol became MLB’s first female umpire, but she does not want to mark its last. She encouraged others to try the job and emphasized sticking with it despite the long process.
And it is a long process. But Pawol knows it better than anyone. She worked over 1,200 minor league games across a 10-year span before receiving Saturday’s opportunity.
“Stick to it, (have) some grit to see it through,” Pawol said. “It’s a long road. It’s not an overnight growth, or it’s not one promotion. There’s countless things that you have to do. I think a lot of people give up along the road, so just see it through and make friends. Have fun and just give it a try.”
Pawol umpired third base for the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader and will call balls and strikes behind the plate for Sunday’s series finale. And then it’s back to being a roving umpire —where her assignments change on a daily basis — until receiving the next call up.
But for now, she will always be remembered as a trailblazer and the first female umpire in MLB history.
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