#Shortstops: Woman in Blue
Following in the footsteps of Bernice Gera and Christine Wren, Pam Postema became the third woman to serve as an umpire in professional baseball when she appeared in the rookie Gulf Coast League in 1977.
Then a recent graduate of the Al Somers Umpire School, Postema’s goal was simple, “I wanted to become a major league umpire.”
“I’ll be definitely disappointed if I don’t make it, but even if I don’t make it eventually, I’ll be satisfied that I’ve done my best,” she said.
Postema continued working games, knowing that any opening in the big leagues might result in a call to move up. There was some hope with comments from people like Astros manager Hal Lanier, “”I had heard several good things about her from people who had seen her in the minor leagues, and I was impressed.”
Jim Gates is the Librarian Emeritus for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum