MLB’s 1st female ump, Jen Pawol, works spring training but doesn’t get a permanent staff opening

By: The Associated Press Posted: 2:01 PM CST Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year but the major leagues' first female umpire did not get one of the permanent staff openings.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year but the major leagues' first female umpire did not get one of the permanent staff openings.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/02/2026 (195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year but the major leagues’ first female umpire did not get one of the permanent staff openings.

Tom Hanahan and Brian Walsh were promoted Friday to replace Mark Carlson and Phil Cuzzi, who are retiring. Carlson will become an umpire supervisor.

Jordan Baker, who worked the plate in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, will replace Carlson as a crew chief.

Pawol, 49, became the first female major league umpire Aug. 9 and worked a total of five big league games last year. In 2024, she became the first woman to umpire big league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol has been a minor league ump since 2016 and has worked at Triple-A since 2023.

Walsh, 41, has worked 339 major league games as a call-up umpire and Hanahan, who is 35, has worked 329. Both made their major league debuts in 2023.

The 56-year-old Carlson made his major league debut in 1999 and has been a crew chief since 2021. He worked the World Series in 2015, 2020 and 2024, and he was behind the plate for a no-hitter by the Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver on May 2, 2012.

Cuzzi, 70, worked his first major league game in 1991 and worked the World Series in 2017. He was the plate umpire for no-hitters by St. Louis’ Bud Smith on Sept. 3, 2001, and by Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels on July 25, 2015.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb