Pawol's rise to make MLB history came 28 years after the NBA gender barrier for game officials was broken and 10 years after the NFL hired its first full-time female official. The men's soccer World Cup first hired a female referee three years ago. The NHL has not had any women as on-ice officials.

When Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep fired the first pitch of the doubleheader opener against the Miami Marlins, it was official. Pawol, 48, broke one of baseball’s final barriers, becoming the first woman umpire in a regular-season game, after paying her dues with more than 1,200 minor-league games worked in the past decade.