"Such a role model for girls" - Veteran umpire Chris Guccione beams with pride over first female umpire Jen Pawol’s historic milestone

The first game of a split doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins on Saturday witnessed history as first base umpire Jen Pawol became the first female umpire to work an MLB regular-season game.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Pawol worked the second base and is scheduled to be at home plate for Sunday's series finale between the Braves and Marlins.

Pawol's crew chief for the game, Chris Guccione, who has been a veteran of the profession and has been part of several high-profile MLB games, beamed with pride after the game.

"This is one of the proudest moments I’ve been a part of in all my career," Guccione said. "I’ve been blessed with working playoffs, I’ve worked two World Series, All-Star Games, and this one is right up there. It gives me chills just thinking about it and the magnitude. … I was just sitting here going, it just kind of hit me, the magnitude of this whole thing and how hard she’s worked.

"She does an incredible job. She’s an incredible person, likes to have fun, works hard. This is huge. I have a daughter, and she was so excited to meet Jen. This is just a great role model for girls and women out there, and I’m so proud of her."

Jen Pawol reflects on her history debut which is set to part of Cooperstown

Jen Pawol, who has been umpiring in the minor leagues over the last few years, was part of Spring Training games in 2024 and earlier this year. She hailed her major league debut as an "emotional" moment.

“It was amazing when we took the field,” Pawol said. “It seemed like quite a few people were clapping and calling my name. That was pretty intense and emotional.

"When I looked up they weren’t in the lower tier like in the minor leagues. When I looked up it took me a while. 'Whoa, they’re up there!' I’ll never forget that. That was just awesome."

The historic moment will be part of the Baseball Hall of Fame as the cap worn by Jen Pawol will be inducted into Cooperstown.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash