Pawol breaks gender barrier, earns excellent reviews for her work

ATLANTA (AP)– Jen Pawol breezed through Sunday’s Marlins-Braves game as if breaking a gender barrier was just another day on the job.Considering Pawol became the first female umpire to work behind the plate in the majors, making unmatched history seem regular was especially impressive.Advertisement “I believe Jen did an actually great job,”Miami supervisor Clayton McCullough

stated after Atlanta’s 7-1 win over the Marlins. “I think she’s really composed back there. She handled and managed the game very

well. And special day for her. Big day for Big league Baseball. I congratulated her once again on that because it’s quite the achievement.” It was an excellent cap to a remarkable weekend for Pawol. She made history in Saturday’s doubleheader

as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the majors. She called the bases in the doubleheader before moving behind the plate on Sunday, positioning her in the brightest spotlight for an umpire.Pawol never ever revealed any sign of being impacted by the attention, even while knowing every call would be carefully watched.Advertisement “Congrats to Jen

, obviously, “said Braves left-hander Joey Wentz, who earned the win by enabling only one run in 5 1/3 innings.Asked about Pawol’s calls, Wentz stated,”I try not to concentrate on the zone, to

be sincere with you. … I believed it was good however.”There were few chances for disputes as Wentz and Miami beginning pitcher Cal Quantrill integrated for only 3 strikeouts. The first called third strike can be found in the 5th inning, when Pawol used a fist pump when calling out Miami’s Kyle Stowers on a pitch that was close to the edge of the plate.McCullough was seen in the Marlins dugout with his palms held up as if asking about the pitch call. He said after the game it’s not uncommon to question a close called strike.Advertisement”Throughout the game, there are a number of times that you simply are going to be asking for clarity on one, if you aren’t sure,”McCullough said.”So it could have been that. “The 48-year-old Pawol was called as a rover umpire, so her next assignment in the majors has actually not been revealed.”I wish her the very best moving on as she continues to, I make sure, ideally one day be up full-time, you understand, a long-term major league umpire,”McCullough said.Pawol likewise received positive reviews from Braves supervisor Brian Snitker, who on Saturday said, “You can tell she knows what she does.”Pawol’s work in the minors began in 2016 when she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. She operated in the Triple-A national championship in 2023 and in spring training games in 2024 and again this year.Advertisement”We definitely didn’t call her up from A ball, right?”Quantrill said.” So yeah, I make sure she was well prepared. And like I said I believe, you know, part of the game moving forward is that if this is typical then we’re going to treat it normal, too. So, you know, I thought it was great. I believe she did she did a quality task. … And yeah, I think she ‘d be extremely proud of herself. And, you understand, it’s type of a cool little thing to be part of.” Pawol spoke with press reporters on Saturday when she stated,”The

dream really

became a reality today. I’m still residing in it. I’m so grateful to my household and Major League Baseball for producing such an unbelievable work environment. … I’m so happy.” Pawol received cheers from fans on both days. On Sunday, some held up “Way to go Jen!” signs. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB