Major League Baseball’s gender barrier struck out on Tuesday when a San Francisco Giants coach became the first woman to make an on-field coaching appearance in a regular-season game.
Alyssa Nakken, 31, took the field as the Giants’ first-base coach in the top of the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected from the game over a dispute with the third-base coach for the San Diego Padres.
“I think we’re all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis,” Nakken said in a post-game interview. “I think this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility. Obviously, there’s a historical nature to it. But again, this is my job.”
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Padres’ first baseman Eric Hosmer greeted Nakken with a handshake, and players from both teams took moments throughout the game to extend their congratulations.
“I just introduced myself, congratulated her,” Hosmer said. “It’s obviously a special moment for her and a special moment for the game.”
.@SFGiants‘ Alyssa Nakken becomes the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game, taking over as first-base coach tonight. https://t.co/BSeKcJk3bQ pic.twitter.com/UkG33bbDqk
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2022
Nakken played first base in college on Sacramento’s softball team for California State University. She got her start with the Giants as a baseball operations intern in 2014, later working her way to becoming the first full-time female coach in MLB history.
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The helmet Nakken wore during Tuesday’s game was donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
“I was prepared for this moment. Never knew if or when it would happen but was ready to step in when the team needed me to,” Nakken said. “Now I know exactly how our pitch hitters feel.”
