Alyssa Nakken has made MLB history as the first woman on-field coach in MLB history.
Nakken took over for Giants first-base coach Antoan Richardson during Tuesday night’s contest against the San Diego Padres after he was ejected from the game. San Francisco went on to win 13-2, while scoring more in one game than they did in four contests (12 runs) to begin the year.
Nakken is in her third season with the Giants and became MLB’s first full-time female coach on Jan. 16, 2020. Giants manager Gabe Kapler has prided himself on building a diverse coaching staff and this is the latest example of a groundbreaking opportunity for women in sports.
Following the game, Nakken spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area about her MLB on-field debut.
"I've never felt any sort of lack of support from this organization," Nakken said. "It's been awesome. This group in here is really special. To go out there and just be ready to step in for that moment, it was a no-brainer. This is my job."
Richardson was ejected by third-base umpire Greg Gibson early in the evening. According to Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group, Richardson was tossed after bantering with the Padres dugout.
Nakken serves day-to-day as an assistant coach on Kapler’s staff and has appeared in the first-base coach’s box in spring training before.
Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer shook Nakken’s hand after she took the field. Nakken has grown a solid reputation since joining the Giants’ front office staff in 2014.
"Alyssa was prepared for this moment," Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game, via Associated Press' Janie McCauley. "It's something that's she's worked on with Antoan and others in spring training. So it's not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren't seen, so it's nice to her kinda be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field."
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