Jen Pawol's spring training assignments included Saturday's Astros-Cardinals game.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — “You’ve Got to Have Balls to Make It in This League,” was the title of Pam Postema’s autobiography.
Sadly, that indeed was the case back in the day. And it was a damn shame.
Welcome to 2024. Thankfully.
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Let’s press fast-forward.
St. Louis Cardinals leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan stepped into the batter’s box and dug in for sure footing Saturday afternoon.
Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier walked onto the mound and stamped his right cleat on the rubber, as he does.
A fastball was delivered; baseball was played.
The start of a spring training game against the Cardinals was like that of the other 30 the Astros will play in prepping for the upcoming season.
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But it was very different.
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When asked about the difference, Javier chuckled at the question.
Astros closer Josh Hader, a newcomer to the team who signed as a free agent a couple weeks before spring training began, wasn’t aware of anything unusual about his outing when he entered the game, either.
Hader said he was locked in on pitching for the first time in an Astros uniform. Four batters faced, one inning pitched.
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Oh, wait. At the end of his brief, 14-pitch stint, Hader did see that the home plate umpire had long hair in a ponytail flowing out the back of the protective mask/baseball cap combo.
Turned out, Jen Pawol, the first woman to umpire in MLB spring training since 2007, was calling the balls and strikes.
“At first I didn’t (see her), but then I noticed at the end,” Hader said. “And that’s awesome, just to have men and women being able to do the same job.
“Obviously, different people have a different passion for the game, and for her to be out here and do it at a great level and do a great job, you just tip your cap. Maybe more women will be able to come out and do that and follow her footsteps.”
All that matters to Hader —and all that should matter to all of us — is that an umpire is qualified and does good work. Pawol has been a Triple-A crew chief and worked the Triple-A championship last summer.
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The ability to get the job done hasn’t always been the most important factor in major league umpiring opportunities. Hence, Postema’s book detailing her quest to become an MLB ump.
She never made it.
Despite saying she did a good job, Bob Knepper, a starting pitcher with the Astros for nine seasons in the 1980s, was adamant that women had no place in a position of power in baseball. (Or positions of power anywhere for that matter.)
“This is an occupation women should not be in,” Knepper said. “In God’s society, woman was created in a role of submission to the husband.
“It’s not that woman is inferior, but I don’t believe women should be in a leadership role. I don’t think a woman should be the President of the United States or a governor or mayor or police chief.”
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This was after Postema was behind the plate when Knepper pitched five innings and didn’t give up a run.
“It has nothing to do with her qualifications,” he said. “She did a great job back there today, but I believe God has ordained that there are some things women should do and some things they should not do.”
Is that from the same book of the Bible that labeled the designated hitter as an abomination?
Knepper embarrassed all of Houston. Well, at least my Houston was embarrassed for him.
This fool even argued that the great Anita Martini, a lead baseball voice in Houston media, should be banned from the clubhouse
Postema tried to be inconspicuous. She cut her hair short so it would fit under her cap and delivered strikeout calls with an exaggerated bass in her voice.
MLB didn’t discipline Knepper for his Neanderthal take. The league said he was entitled to his opinion.
The league would sanction Javier or Hader if either said something like that, though.
They would trend on social media for the first time in their lives and never live it down.
Javier wasn’t surprised at Pawol’s performance.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “She called some of my games when I was in the minors, so it’s something I’m used to.”
The look on his face was one of surprise that her presence was even a story.
That’s a good thing. And that’s how far we have come.
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