On April 30 in Durham, N.C., St. Louis Cardinals legend Adam Wainwright made a rehab start for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. All eyes were on Wainwright, the three-time All-Star and playoff hero, who was on the verge of rejoining the big-league team.
Still, it’s doubtful many fans noticed one of the more mundane parts of every game: when the home plate umpire came out to check Wainwright’s hands for foreign substances.
For 46-year-old Jen Pawol, the first female umpire to reach Triple A in 34 years, nothing is mundane. Every play, every pitch – even a substance check – is another step closer to the big leagues. Pawol is just trying to get the next call right. But sometimes, even in her eighth year as a professional umpire, the gravity of what she is attempting breaks through.
“Jen, I have four daughters,” Wainwright said as Pawol approached the mound, “and I think what you’re doing is awesome.”
Major League Baseball has had female coaches and general managers and scouts and all-women broadcast teams. But there has never been a female umpire in the big leagues. Women have umpired major league spring training games and in the minors, but never in the show. Several have tried. They lowered their voices and cut their hair short, they tried to fit in, and still…
