Padres and Blue Jays each get mad at umpire Jen Pawol in bizarre sequence

MLB umpire Jen Pawol didn’t win over any hearts on Sunday as both the Padres and Blue Jays met her with gripes in an odd sequence Sunday afternoon in San Diego.It all started in the bottom of the second inning of a controversial 5-4 Padres win.Padres second baseman Sung-Mun Song attempted to challenge a called strike by Kevin Gausman with the game tied at 1-1, but Pawol said he tapped his helmet too late, despite Song appearing to hit his helmet immediately after the pitch was called a strike.San Diego hitting coach Steven Souza Jr.was irate and as manager Craig Stammen went to discuss it with the third base umpire, Pawol ejected Souza Jr.

from the game.Later that same inning, it was the Blue Jays’ turn to disagree with Pawol, as San Diego had loaded the bases.Jackson Merrill stepped out of the batter’s box to claim a balk against Gausman.

The umpires gathered to discuss the play after Pawol had already ruled the pitch a strike.Blue Jays manager John Schneider came onto the field to join his pitcher in frustration at the ongoing discussion.Ultimately, the strike call was overturned, and it was ruled a balk, driving in Ty France from third base and advancing Song to second and Jake Cronenworth to third, with the Padres extending their lead to 3-1.The Padres would lose that lead when Ernie Clement hit a home run, putting the Blue Jays up 4-3.

San Diego would rally, thoug, in the eighth inning with an RBI single by Manny Machado and a sacrifice fly by France to win 5-4, heading into the All-Star break with a 48-48 record.Pawol, who became the first female umpire in MLB when she made her debut in August 2025, has faced scrutiny in the past.In spring training, she drew criticism for calling a pitch right down the middle a ball, a call later confirmed by ABS data....