Who is Jen Pawol, MLB's potential first female umpire working Yankees vs. Astros?

Fans tuning in to watch Aaron Judge's spring training debut on YES Network on Saturday afternoon were quickly introduced to the unique umpire working behind the dish.

Jen Pawol, who has been umpiring professionally since completing advanced minor-league training in 2017, is working her second consecutive spring training. Last year, she was placed on the MLB call-up list for the first time after being honored with an assignment to the Triple-A National Championship Game in 2023.

While Pawol has been working her way through the minor-league ranks for parts of eight seasons now, once the 2025 campaign commences, she's now as close to a big-league promotion as she's ever been, eligible once again to be promoted over the course of the forthcoming season.

If and when that happens, the 48-year-old Pawol - who's already been honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame - will become Major League Baseball's first female umpire, joining a generation of trailblazers across the coaching and executive ranks.

Jen Pawol, on MLB call-up list, could become league's first female umpire. She's working Yankees vs. Astros spring training game behind home plate.

The Yankees are no strangers to similar trailblazing. Minor-league manager Rachel Balkovec moved on to a promotion in the Miami Marlins' front office (farm director) prior to the 2024 season, while former Marlins GM Kim Ng also began her career after Brian Cashman hired her to join the Yankees' front office in 1998.

Pawol, even before reaching a regular-season MLB game, has already made recent history, becoming the first woman to work at Triple-A in 34 years when she crashed the party in 2023, working in both the International and Pacific Coast Leagues throughout the season.

Yankees-Astros isn't the first game she's worked during Grapefruit League action, either, rotating throughout the league to survey the landscape. Her position on the call-up list will provide potential fill-in opportunities throughout the regular season if a regular crew member is unavailable, though Pawol was not among the five announced preseason promotion to the official MLB staff.

If promoted, Pawol will make history wearing the uniform number 95.