Jen Pawol made history as the first woman to umpire in Major League Baseball when she debuted in an Aug. 9 game between the Braves and Marlins.
She had dozens of family members, friends and other supporters there at Truist Park. She had fans holding handmade signs hailing her for making “HERstory.” She had national media members interviewing her. And she donated her cap to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
But as Pawol, a member of the MLB Call-Up Umpire list, returned to the MLB level to work a Pirates-Rockies series at PNC Park this weekend with the landmark assignment behind her, she got to be just another ump.
And her experience is a good opportunity to explain how this backup system works.
Pawol is one of 17 current Triple-A umpires on the call-up list, eligible to substitute in Major League games.
“We have needs for fill-ins basically every day of the Major League season,” said Matt McKendry, MLB’s vice president of umpire operations, "whether it’s for injuries, illnesses, absences for time off, a kids’ graduation or whatever it is.”
As these needs present themselves from week to week, MLB uses its network of call-ups intentionally distributed throughout the country. So for even the most last-minute needs that might arise for, say, an injury or other unforeseen development, there is usually someone available within reasonable geographic distance.
That’s how Pawol got the Pittsburgh assignment this weekend. An umpire went on bereavement leave and Pawol, who is based in North Carolina, got the call.
“This decision with Jen was made the same way we make a lot of decisions on call-ups,” McKendry said. “She was regionally close to where the opening was, and she had not seen either of these teams recently, so it was a perfect storm where it worked out.”
The call-up group -- 17 umpires out of a total of 55 at the Triple-A level -- is chosen based on performance and track record.
“Once an umpire gets to Triple-A,” McKendry said, “that’s their first opportunity to work in a four-umpire system -- similar to what we have at the MLB level.”
New Triple-A umpires are evaluated closely by Triple-A umpire supervisors. And each year, at the Arizona Fall League, a group of Triple-A umpires are essentially tested out and given consistent feedback during a process of discovering whether they could perform well in a Major League assignment.
Following the AFL trial, the next step in becoming a call-up umpire is a Major League Spring Training assignment.
From there, call-up positions are filled as other call-ups graduate to full Major League jobs.
“As those openings come up, we add qualified people,” McKendry said.
Pawol is one of five call-up umpires to have made their MLB debut this season.
“For those individual call-ups, whenever we can, we try to make that first Major League assignment something that has some connection to them,” McKendry said. “Whether it’s close to where they’re from or where they have family or we try to give them more lead time so they can get the people important to them the opportunity to fly in.”
The Triple-A umpire staff includes 10 rovers who can serve as the first line of defense for MLB needs. But should a staffing shortage present itself as a result of needs at the MLB level, umpires can be temporarily elevated from Double-A to Triple-A. Or in single-game cases, there are times when retired Minor League umpires or collegiate umpires might help out in a pinch at the Triple-A level.
The Call-Up Umpire List is a practical means of both addressing the inevitable and giving rising umps a chance to get acclimated with the game’s highest level.
“It's a great opportunity for these Minor League umpires to work with different crews, different Major League umpires get experience and, for us, it really is an opportunity to vet them to see how they perform at that highest level of baseball,” McKendry said. “It’s part of that 24/7 job interview, as we figure out who’s going to be the next one if we have a retirement or someone move off our staff.”
As for Pawol, with the barrier firmly broken, she can now settle into a more routine existence as an umpire at the ready.
“I think Jen herself is a good story, and somebody who has worked so hard to get to this opportunity that she has in front of her now,” McKendry said. “She’s put in a long apprenticeship at the Minor League level, and that’s going to continue as she goes up through this call-up process. She’s going to continue to get opportunities at the Major League level and continue to raise her game and be able to work herself out of the challenging situations that she’ll see at the Major League level.”