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For the first time in Major League Baseball history, the umpire calling balls and strikes behind the plate was a woman. Jen Pawol, who already made MLB history as the first woman to umpire a game when she helped call the Atlanta Braves' series opener against the Miami Marlins, shifted behind the plate on Day 2 of her MLB career for the Braves-Marlins series finale.
During the Braves' 7-1 victory over the Marlins, multiple players and staff recognized Pawol's second notable achievement in what was otherwise an uneventful contest. Atlanta pitching coach Rick Kranitz was one of the ones fortunate enough to witness the history first-hand.
“It's always great to see things that are historic,” Kranitz said. “It's only going to happen once ever in the history of this game. It's unbelievable. It's great.”
Kranitz made his way to the mound at the top of the fourth inning at the same time as Pawol, and he described the brief interaction the two had after the matchup.
“I went out there, and then I started hearing the crowd,” the MLB coach 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 continued on to explain the professional advice he was able to offer Pawol before returning 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.”
Another historic afternoon in Atlanta!
One day after becoming the first woman to umpire an MLB regular season game, Jen Pawol is behind home plate for the Braves vs. Marlins series finale. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/lbqD8xQmA2
— Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) August 10, 2025
One of the first pitchers to work with the strike zone Pawol established, Marlins starter Cal Quantrill, provided the players' point of view, giving his feedback on her first performance.
“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.”
Quantrill maintained that Pawol definitely managed to influence MLB, but her presence will also become part of the league's norm, especially after her Hall of Fame honor.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Miami manager Clayton McCullough chimed in with similarly glowing reviews of Pawol's plate debut.
“I think Jen did a really nice job. I think she was very composed back there,” McCullough said. “She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her, big day for Major League Baseball.
“[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.”
