Referee Jen Pawol made her debut as the main umpire, marking an important day for Major League Baseball.

Jen Pawol became the first female umpire to officiate in a Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season game yesterday, and today she made her first call behind home plate during the final game of the series between the Braves and the Marlins at Truist Park.

On an otherwise ordinary day at the ballpark, the Braves won 7-1, securing four victories in five games. However, when Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz visited starting pitcher Joey Wentz on the mound in the top of the fourth inning, everyone briefly recalled the significance of the afternoon.

“I walked out and started hearing the crowd,” Kranitz said. “They began to applaud, and I thought, ‘Oh, what's going on?’ I saw her (Pawol) walking toward the mound. We all understood, ‘Let her go the full distance. Let the fans get involved.’”

When Kranitz returned to the dugout, he had a brief conversation with Pawol.

“I asked her how she felt. She said, ‘Like a whirlwind.’ I said, ‘Congratulations.’ I remember my first time. It’s not easy. She did great.”

“It’s always great to witness something historic,” Kranitz added. “This only happens once in the history of the sport. It’s truly incredible. Very special.”

The goal of any umpire is to have as little impact on the outcome of the game as possible—therefore, some of the most crucial evaluations for a newly promoted umpire inevitably come from the players. For the first MLB pitchers to work with Pawol's strike zone—Wentz and Marlins starter Cal Quantrill—they had no complaints.

After expressing his congratulations, Wentz had little else to say. “To be honest, I try not to focus on the strike zone. But I think she did well.”

“We certainly didn’t call her up from Single-A, right?” Quantrill said. “I’m sure she was well-prepared, and I think part of the progress of this sport is that if this becomes the norm, we should treat it as such. I felt good about it; I think she did a quality job. ... She should be very proud of herself for being part of this cool little moment. But at the end of the day, it’s just another regular day.”

“I know it’s an important day for her, but I think part of respecting that is to try to stay level-headed and professional. I congratulated her after the first inning, and other than that, I focused on the game.”

Quantrill’s manager, Clayton McCullough, also gave positive feedback on Pawol’s performance behind the plate.

“I think Jen did an excellent job. I felt she was very composed out there. She managed the game well. It was an important day for her and for Major League Baseball,” said the Marlins manager. “I congratulated her again because this is an extraordinary achievement. I wish her all the best in the future, and I believe she hopes to one day become a full-time MLB umpire. So, it’s an important day for many people.”