On a night when the national anthem kneeling of a selection of Giants drew the Twitter ire of the president, the team made history as Alyssa Nakken become the first woman to coach in an on-field capacity. Nakken, who joined manager Gabe Kapler's staff in January and who has been with the club since 2014, took over at first base in the top of the eighth.
Alyssa Nakken coaching first for the Giants -- pic.twitter.com/yl8qtT6ct4
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants)
July 21, 2020 Giants sage Hunter Pence tweeted his support for the rookie coach:
Kapler offered the following explanation for giving Nakken a shot on the field.
Gabe Kapler said he wanted to have Alyssa Nakken coach first base to continue her development, just like any other coach.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey)
July 21, 2020 And for those so inclined, here's the president responding to Kapler and an assortment of his players opting to kneel for the anthem.
Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
July 21, 2020 The game WAS over as this Tweet was fired off a good eight hours after the exhibition, which ended 6-2, Giants, had wrapped.
