FILE - Home plate umpire Jen Pawol calls a strike during the third inning of a spring training baseball game between the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol is set to become the first woman to umpire a game in Major League Baseball when she works games this weekend between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.
Pawol will work the bases in Saturday’s doubleheader at Truist Park and the plate on Sunday, MLB said Wednesday.
Pawol, a 48-year-old from New Jersey, worked spring training games in 2024 and this year.
MLB’s move comes 28 years after the gender barrier for game officials was broken in the NBA, 10 years after it ended the NFL and three years after the men’s soccer World Cup employed a female referee.
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Walker is a retired AP Baseball Writer.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
FILE - Umpire Jen Pawol takes her position during the first inning of a spring training baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals Monday, March 4, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
