MLB News: San Francisco Giants Coach Makes Baseball History

Alyssa Nakken became the first female on field coach in MLB history.

An April blowout between the Giants and Padres is now forever a part of history. For the first time in the history of major league baseball, a female coach appeared as an on field coach. 

Nakken replaced Antoan Richardson as the team's first base coach after Richardson was ejected for an altercation between he and Padres third base coach Mike Shildt. Nakken took the field to a massive round of applause from the fans at Oracle Park. Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer shook her hand. It was a fantastic moment for the sport of baseball.

Her helmet is already headed to Cooperstown. Nakken, a former softball star at Sacramento State, was first hired by the Giants in January of 2020. She was the first female coach ever in the majors. 

“It’s a big deal. I feel a great sense of responsibility and I feel it’s my job to honor those who have helped me to where I am.”

Nakken isn't the only woman breaking down gender barriers in baseball. This offseason, the New York Yankees made Rachel Balkovec baseball's first female manager as the skipper of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons.