\u2014 MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWow, just incredible,\u201d Pawol said between games of the doubleheader. \u201cLike, the dream actually came true today, and I\u2019m still living in it. And I\u2019m just so grateful to my family, to Major League Baseball for just creating such an amazing work environment, to all the umpires that I work with. We have just amazing camaraderie, and we\u2019re having fun out there. We\u2019re working hard, but we\u2019re having fun. I\u2019m just so thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n The history-making moment added to an already memorable day for Waldrep, as well. In his second game of the season and third start of his career, the rookie impressed again with six innings of four-hit ball in the Braves\u2019 7-1 win, with one walk and six strikeouts. The only hit against him through five innings was a bunt single.<\/p>\n He smiled at the mention of Pawol, who he said umpired a couple of his Triple-A games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really cool,\u201d Waldrep said. \u201cI was able to congratulate her. That\u2019s awesome for her. I can\u2019t imagine how hard it is for her to have come up, and everyone\u2019s probably told her it was impossible. But to be a part of that \u2014 they made a big deal out of it, as it should be, and that\u2019s pretty cool for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen Pawol inspected Braves starter Hurston Waldrep\u2019s glove during the first inning. (Brett Davis \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Pawol has the sort of emphatic \u201cout\u201d and \u201csafe\u201d calls that fans and players appreciate. And she does so with conviction and without delay. When the Marlins\u2019 Xavier Edwards grounded into an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play in the top of the third, she gave a vigorous punch with her right arm while raising her left leg for emphasis.<\/p>\n \u201cShe did a good job,\u201d Braves manager Brian Snitker said. \u201cYou can tell she knows what she\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Snitker, having served as a minor-league manager for decades, also appreciated Pawol\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime anybody grinds their way through the minor leagues, I don\u2019t care who it is, that\u2019s a tough job,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd talking to the umpires over my years, with their travel and what they go through, I\u2019m happy for anybody that sticks it out and grinds through a career like that, gets the opportunity to be where they wanna be. So, good for her.\u201d<\/p>\n It took Pawol a decade of umpiring in the minor leagues before she got to work a regular-season game, and it took women more than a century for the opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m aware of the gravity; I\u2019m aware of the magnitude\u201d of breaking through this barrier, Pawol said during a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. \u201cI believe that I\u2019m going to be a very good steward and representative for young girls and women, and boys and men, that this is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2228550598-scaled.jpg\")
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