Latest news with #PamPostema
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Before ump Jen Pawol's breakthrough moment, others came close — and now celebrate from afar
Sitting all the way in the back of a classroom, Ria Cortesio could barely hold her emotions together. It's been more than 18 years since Cortesio worked as an umpire in a Major League spring training game. The same year she was later fired, for what she and others have said were sexist reasons. Let go for no other reason than, as she said, 'I sit down to pee.' Advertisement 'That's it, that's all there is to it,' she said. 'Somehow, they found out I was a woman. It was never going to be.' Now a pilot, Cortesio is on what she says is her fifth career, figuring out life after umpiring. She was in job training on Wednesday morning when she heard that Jen Pawol would finally get the chance Cortesio never received: There would, at long last, be a woman ump in a big league baseball game. And once Cortesio, 48, went on her lunch break, the tears started to flow. 'It was all I could do to not (cry),' Cortesio said in an interview with The Athletic on Thursday. 'There was a box of Kleenexes. I dabbed my eyes a little bit. I am so happy for her. I'm so happy for Pam (Postema). I'm so happy for me. 'I'm so happy for all of us — all the women who are in the game right now. This is just, like, the greatest news.' Pawol, 48, will be called up from Triple A to be part of the umpiring crew for Saturday's doubleheader between the Braves and Marlins in Atlanta. She's also scheduled to work home plate for Sunday's series finale. Pawol has long been on the cusp of an opportunity like this — umping MLB spring games last year, and working as a Triple-A ump for the last two-plus years. But others before her have been close, really close, without ever getting that chance. There was Cortesio in 2007, who was rated as a top umpire. She was given assignments like the Futures Game and Home Run Derby, and sent her umpire mask to Cooperstown. But she was fired at the end of the season instead of getting promoted. And before her, there was Pam Postema, similarly competent at her role, but similarly let go in 1989. She subsequently filed a discrimination lawsuit, which was settled out of court. Now, decades after they've moved on with their lives, they can appreciate someone else finally taking the mantle. 'I'm so happy for her, I knew she would make it this year,' Postema said in a text message. 'I followed her career. Couldn't happen to a better person. I always knew there would be a woman in the big leagues, it just took time. And Jen is a great umpire.' Advertisement Longtime big league umpire Dale Scott, who retired after the 2017 season following more than 30 years on the job, worked with Postema. He said she broke ground back at a time when 'baseball was not ready for a female umpire.' Hostility is baked into the umpire job description. But usually that was within the context of the on-field game, Scott said. You get it from players, coaches, managers, even fans. But Scott said he saw Postema deal with that from people on the staff and in the front office who didn't want a woman in this role. Scott, who himself was the game's first openly gay umpire, was thrilled when Pawol got the nod for this weekend. He hopes this isn't a one-off opportunity, however, just to fill in. Getting a full-time job at the big league level remains a hurdle to clear. 'I think it's overdue,' Scott said. 'She's getting her shot. And hopefully, besides this weekend, she will get more games down the road. There have been guys that have worked hundreds of big league games and never get a full contract. That's still a goal down the road, but this is a huge hump to get to where she's at now.' Much like Postema, Cortesio has developed a friendship with Pawol, who has leaned on the women who came before her. For Cortesio, this feels personal. It's Pawol's accomplishment, but it's hers too. For years, she said, she's had recurring dreams where she'd arrive at a baseball stadium and all the umpires on that day would be women. On Wednesday, her phone was flooded with texts and direct messages from social media. There were friends, family, former coworkers, former umpires, former players and managers. It was a moment where that dream felt as close to reality as it ever had before. 'I feel a sense of relief for her that finally, finally, finally she's going to get her shot,' Cortesio said. 'And nobody will ever be able to take that away from her. It's finally happening. We've waited so long.' Advertisement When the news became public, Cortesio immediately considered purchasing plane tickets from her home in Goodyear, Arizona, to make it to Atlanta for the weekend. The logistics didn't end up working. Still, she'll watch at home, with what she expects will be many tears and a lot of emotion. When the national anthem plays, she said, she'll be watching her friend. 'That's probably when I'm going to lose my mind,' she said. She knows that it could have been her, or Postema, or any of the other women whose careers were derailed early because of unfortunate experiences they endured. Now, finally, it's Pawol's turn. But really, this is for all of them. 'From my perspective,' Cortesio said, 'this is my dream coming true.' (Top photo of Pawol: Rich Storry / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
A long-overdue MLB first, plus Red Sox remain aggressive
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. It only took 149 years, but Major League Baseball will finally have its first female umpire this weekend. Plus: the Red Sox continue their parade of extensions, Andrew Vaughn is a new man in Milwaukee and we ask: Who has the best bullpen in baseball? I'm Levi Weaver, and Ken Rosenthal is off this week — welcome to The Windup! In March of 1988, the Sports Illustrated cover hit mailboxes across the country, with the words in bold across the cover: 'The Lady is an Ump.' The lady in question: Pam Postema, who became the first woman to umpire an MLB spring training game. Postema spent 13 years in the minor leagues, and was highly regarded among her peers, but never made it to a regular-season MLB game. To be frank, it's about time. The first woman to referee an NBA game was Violet Palmer in 1997. The first female NFL official: Sarah Thomas in 2015. There have been qualified candidates — Postema and Cortesio chief among them — and it's good to see one of them finally get a shot. Yes, the Red Sox were perhaps a bit too timid at the trade deadline. But over the last two years, they've been fairly aggressive in locking down some of the building blocks of their core. The trend continued yesterday. Roman Anthony — who came into this season as Keith Law's No. 1 prospect in the sport, just turned 21 and is now hitting .276/.392/.417 (.809 OPS) after his first 47 games in the big leagues — signed an eight-year extension worth $130 million (plus a club option for 2034). The Red Sox might not be done, either. When they signed Campbell this spring, they expressed an interest in extending 22-year-old infielder Marcelo Mayer (who is currently on the IL with a wrist injury). Advertisement As Jen McCaffrey writes, it wasn't always this way in Boston. After all, this is the franchise that has spent the last five-plus years hearing the critiques for trading away Mookie Betts. More Anthony: From McCaffrey, back in March: Inside the rise of Anthony. I tried to count all the big-league relievers who changed teams at this year's deadline, but it's complicated: What counts as a deadline deal? Is Dustin May considered a reliever? Do we count Taylor Rogers twice, since he was a Pittsburgh Pirate for about one day? Anyway, the number I landed on was a lot. A bushel of relievers. A cornucopia of bullpen arms, if you will. Today, Eno Sarris endeavors to answer the question: After all those trades, who has the best bullpen in baseball? I won't spoil Eno's conclusion, but I did find the Mets section interesting. Check this out: 'They had one of the best closers in the game and then they added one of the other best closers in the game in Ryan Helsley, and then they added the funkiest submariner in baseball in Tyler Rogers. According to the Stuff+ leaderboard, which looks at the physical characteristics of a pitch, they added two of the three best relievers in baseball at the deadline.' Yeah, the Mets are mired in a slump right now — they've followed a seven-game winning streak in late July by going 1-8 in the nine games since — but that's heck of a stat to define their bullpen upgrades. It was a good move, even before we could know the full context. The Milwaukee Brewers called up 23-year-old pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski in mid-June, and he went on an absolute tear, making the All-Star Game after just five starts. Obviously, the Brewers had no choice but to keep him in the rotation. That was only a problem for — well, aside from the rest of the NL Central — one guy: Aaron Civale, who lost his spot in the rotation to the rookie. Rather than be relegated to the bullpen, he requested a trade, and the team obliged, sending him to the Chicago White Sox. (Sometimes, even acquiescence can be punitive.) In return, the Brewers received Andrew Vaughn, 2019's No. 3 draft pick. At the time of the trade, the 27-year-old first baseman was watching his big-league dreams slip through his fingers. Following four years of more or less average production in Chicago from 2021-24 (0.3 bWAR, total), his 2025 had been an abject disaster. After he hit .189/.218/.314 (.531 OPS) in 48 games, the team optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Advertisement He was only marginally better there, hitting .211 with a .679 OPS). Vaughn remained in Triple A after the trade, yet the change of scenery paid dividends almost immediately. He hit .259 (.838 OPS) in 16 games with the Nashville Sounds, and when Rhys Hoskins hit the IL with a sprained thumb on July 7, Vaughn's second chance had arrived. In 22 games, Vaughn is hitting a hilarious .377/.444/.701 (1.145 OPS) with seven home runs. He's on a 12-game hitting streak. The Brewers are 70-44, which is the best record in the league. (Civale is 2-4 with a 3.56 ERA in nine starts for the White Sox.) More Brewers: Andy McCullough dives deep to explain how the Brewers (yes, the Brewers) built one of baseball's best teams (again). When the Blue Jays ascended to first place in the AL East in early July, their run differential was only +10. After three blowout wins in Colorado (including a 20-1 beating yesterday), they're at +55. Mitch Bannon tells us about the dominant series, while Britt Ghiroli has a bigger-picture look at how the Blue Jays have finally overcome a multi-year reputation as underachievers. The Yankees salvaged a game in Texas to stay 1.5 games up on the Rangers for the last AL playoff spot. They may have found their new closer in the process. The Guardians almost got their first no-hitter in 44 years yesterday, as Gavin Williams went 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before Juan Soto's solo shot ended the bid. The Cubs didn't get a third top-of-the-rotation starter at the deadline. Is that because Cade Horton is that guy? The Tigers lost again. They're 7-12 since the All-Star break. Cody Stavenhagen breaks down the breakdown. In Philadelphia, Zack Wheeler's shoulder is barking. Jordan Romano is struggling with David Robertson and Jose Alvarado close to returning. Matt Gelb has more here. while Charlotte Varnes checks in on Andrew Painter as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Advertisement Shohei Ohtani struck out eight in four innings on the mound, then hit a two-run home run. Classic Ohtani. On the pods: Eno Sarris is back on Rates & Barrels, and the crew discusses the Anthony extension, the Yankees defense, and the Brewers' success with Vinny Rottino of FSNWI. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Doug Haller's great story about the famous rookie-year meeting between Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Spot the pattern. 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