Watch: Jen Pawol, MLB's first female umpire, calls first strikeout
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Jen Pawol did the punch-out signal in the top of the first inning in Atlanta, highlighting MLB's first behind-the-plate umpire performance by a female.
Pawol stood behind home for the first time Sunday during a series finale between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. She had a correct call rate of 90.3%, with 14 missed calls, according to the Umpire Auditor X account.
Pawol is one of 17 Triple-A umpires eligible to serve as a substitute at MLB games. It is unclear if she will be promoted on a permanent basis.
"I wish her the best moving forward as she continues to, I'm sure, hopefully one day be up full time, you know, a permanent big league umpire," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters, when asked about Pawol.
Pawol became the first woman to umpire a game in MLB history when she worked first base during the first game of a Marlins-Braves doubleheader Saturday in Atlanta. She was at third base for the second game of the doubleheader.
Her debut behind the plate got off to a tough start, with Pawol motioning for a strike on the first pitch of the game -- an inside fastball from Braves starter Joey Wentz, which sailed well outside the strike zone.
Pawol, who worked alongside umpires Chad Whitson (1B), Chris Guccione (2B) and Edwin Moscoso (3B), ranked 13 out of 15 umpires on the day for correct calls, according to data collected by Umpire Auditor.
Marlins All-Star designated hitter Kyle Stowers was her first punch-out victim. That sequence came in the top of the fifth. Stowers trailed 1-2 in the count against Wentz.
The Braves starter tossed in a 94-mph outside fastball for the final offering of the exchange. The pitch appeared to again sail outside of the strike zone, but Pawol stood up and called it a strike, ending the half inning.
Wentz allowed four hits and one run over 5 1/3 innings in the 7-1 win. He improved to 3-3 this season. Marlins starter Cal Quantrill allowed three hits and one run over four innings, but was not on record for a decision.
Braves first baseman Matt Olson, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and center fielder Michael Harris II each recorded homers in the victory. Ozuna hit a 422-foot, three-run blast off Marlins relief pitcher Tyler Zuber in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Olson, Harris and left fielder Jurickson Profar recorded two hits apiece in the victory. The Braves won four of five games against the Marlins, who entered the series with wins in six of their previous eight games and just one game under .500.
Pawol, 48, spent the last decade working as a professional umpire. She started in 2016 in the Gulf Coast League.
"I'm just so grateful to my family, to Major League Baseball for just creating such an amazing work environment," Pawol told reporters Saturday, when asked about her MLB debut. "To all the umpires that I work with. it's just amazing camaraderie. We're having fun out there. We're working hard but we're having fun.
"I'm just so thankful."
Pawol donated her hat from Saturday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Marlins (57-61) now sit in third place in the National League East, 11.5 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies (68-49). They will take on the Cleveland Guardians at 6:40 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Cleveland.
The Braves (51-67) sit in fourth place in the National League East, 17.5 games behind the Phillies. They will battle the second-place New York Mets (63-55) at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday in Flushing, N.Y.
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