Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru | MLB News
Jen Pawol, who became the first woman to umpire in a regular-season MLB game on Saturday, shifted behind the plate to call balls and strikes for the first time in her Major League career in Sunday’s series finale between the Braves and Marlins at Truist Park.
On an otherwise ordinary day at the ballpark, the Braves secured a 7-1 victory to take four of five from the Marlins. But everyone involved did, briefly, get a reminder of the afternoon’s significance when Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz paid starter Joey Wentz a visit in the top of the fourth.
“I went out there, and then I started hearing the crowd,” Kranitz said. “They started [to clap] and I said ‘Oh, what’s going on here?’ I saw [Pawol] coming out [to the mound]. We all agreed, ‘Let’s let her come all the way out. Let’s get the crowd into this.’”
Kranitz and Pawol had a quick chat as the coach headed back to the dugout.
“I asked her how she’s doing. And she said, ‘It’s been a whirlwind.’ And I said, ‘Congratulations.’ I remember my first time. It’s not easy. She handled herself great.”
“It’s always great to see things that are historic,” Kranitz added. “It’s only going to happen once ever in the history of this game. It’s unbelievable. It’s great.”
The goal of any umpire is to have as little impact on the outcome of a game as possible — as such, for newly promoted umpires, some of the most important reviews will inevitably come from players. As for the first big league pitchers to work with Pawol’s strike zone — Wentz and Marlins starter Cal Quantrill — there were no complaints.
After offering his congratulations, Wentz had little to report. “I try not to focus on the zone, to be honest with you. I thought it was good, though.”
“We certainly didn’t call her up from A-ball right?” said Quantrill. “I’m sure she was well-prepared, and I think part of the game moving forward is if this is normal, then we’re gonna treat it normal, too. I thought it was fine, and I think she did a quality job. … I think she should be very proud of herself, and it’s kind of a cool little thing to be a part of it. But yeah, just another day.”
“I know it’s a big day for her, but I think part of respecting that is just trying to keep it normal and professional. I congratulated her after the first inning, and otherwise kept to the game.”
Quantrill’s manager, Clayton McCullough, had a similarly positive review of Pawol’s work behind the plate.
“I think Jen did a really nice job. I think she was very composed back there. She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her, big day for Major League Baseball,” said the Marlins skipper. “[I] congratulated her again on that, because it’s quite the accomplishment. [I] wish her the best moving forward, as she continues to — I’m sure hope one day be a full-time permanent big league umpire. So big day for a lot of people.”