MLB Under Fire As ‘Woke’ Move Immediately Backfires

Major League Baseball made history on Saturday when the first female home plate umpire took the field to call a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of history you want to remember, as Jen Pawol blew her first strike call.

The first pitch was way inside and was not close at all to being within the strike zone. Pawol, perhaps having a bad case of nerves, appeared to be rip-roaring and ready to go for calling strikes.

Many fans watching the game feel that Pawol may have let the power umpires hold go to her head. During the first inning of play, she checked Hurston Waldrep, pitcher for the Braves, for illegal substances as he made his way to the dugout.

The New York Times, however, seems to be thrilled with Pawol’s first performance at home plate. A piece was published with the headline, “Major League Baseball needed this. Jen Pawol deserved it.” Fans referred to the article and its headline as being “woke” when it hit newsstands on Monday.

Umpire Jen Pawol ruled this pitch a strike on her first call behind the plate.

“A female umpire was one of baseball’s final barriers,” the columnist behind the article gushed, “But the sport didn’t just need a woman; it needed the right one. Pawol is a baseball lifer, a former softball player who texts highlights of games to other umpires so they can break them down. She has a vigilant workout routine to keep up with the demands of a physical job. In the offseason, Pawol writes umpire workbooks, participates in clinics, and paints one of her favorite things: the strike zone.”

According to a report published by the New York Post, Pawol called 92.7 percent of the pitches thrown correctly. That means, out of 151 pitches thrown, she got 140 of them correct. The report also revealed that the umpire’s average for the 2025 season is currently 94.23 percent, so she fell well below that figure.

Her strike accuracy was only 88 percent.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough spoke to the media after the game and said, “I think Jen did a really nice job.” The Marlins lost to the Braves 1-7.

“I think she’s very composed back there. 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,” McCullough said.

Pawol, 48, hails from West Milford, New Jersey. She played softball at Hofstra and called games in the minor leagues for 10 seasons.