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It was an unusual scene at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tuesday. The Giants’ first goalie coach was ejected on the third inning, and after taking his place on the field, San Diego Padres’ first goalkeeper Eric Hosmer came to shake his hand.
Hosmer clearly understood the significance of the moment: Alyssa Nakken had become the first woman to coach on the field at a Major League Baseball game.
Nakken, 31, is no stranger to firsts. Gabe Kapler, who has served as assistant coach on Manager Gabe Kapler’s staff since 2020, was the first woman to currently hold a full-time coaching role in the majors.
After the Giants’ 13-2 win on Tuesday, he talked about the importance of the move, adding that it was within the scope of his duty.
“I think we’re all inspirations that do everything we do on a daily basis, and I think, yes, that carries a little more weight because of visibility,” he told reporters after the match.
“Obviously this has a historical nature,” he added. “But still, it’s my job.”
Nakken’s rise through the ranks of the Giants is part of the growing trend of women taking on bigger roles in the game. Rachel Balkovec of the Tampa Tarpons over the past few months became the first woman to lead a team in bound baseball; 17-year-old pitcher Genevieve Beacom Started playing professionally in Australia; and 23-year-old pitcher Kelsie Whitmore has signed a contract to play with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Last year, Kim Ng became the first woman. leading the front office of an MLB team as general manager.
In San Francisco, Kapler said Nakken helped keep things organized for him, in addition to his work on the team’s base running and field defense. Unusually large staff of 13 coaches. On Tuesday, he said the team was preparing to take the field by working with their usual first base coach, Antoan Richardson. He had also previously coached first base during the spring practice games.
“It’s not a foreign spot on the field for him,” Kapler said. “It does a lot of unseen things well. So it’s nice to see him out there in the spotlight and doing it on the court.”
Unfortunately, Nakken’s big moment resulted from an outrageous incident where Richardson had an argument with the Padres’ third base coach Mike Shildt. The debate likely started when a Giants player stole a nine-point lead base. During the dispute, however, Richardson said that Shildt told Kapler that the Giants manager should “check out” Richardson and used an abusive phrase to describe the coach from the Bahamas. Richardson told reporters after the game that he believed the incident had “racist overtones”.
While this incident between coaches is likely to be investigated by teams or MLB, the importance of Nakken’s appearance was clear to all concerned: The orange helmet he’s wearing is heading to Cooperstown to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. permanent collection
“This is a big deal,” he told reporters. “I feel a great sense of responsibility and feel it is my job to honor those who have helped me get to where I am.”
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