Alyssa Nakken became history Tuesday night at Oracle Park, San Francisco when she was the first female to ever coach in a Major League Baseball game. 

Nakken was an assistant coach with the San Francisco Giants and he took over for Antoan Richardson when Richardson was removed from the game against San Diego Padres in the bottom third. The Giants defeated the Padres by 13-2

Nakken, 31 years old, stated that “I was prepared” for the moment. NBC News. “I didn’t know it would come, but I was prepared.” [I]When the team required me, I was available. It means a lot to me. This is a great start to the season.

Former Sacramento State softball player became the first full-time female coachGabe Kapler, Giants manager, hired her as the Giants’ new player in January 2020. 

Nakken, who graduated from Sacramento State University (Sacramento State), earned her master’s degree in sport management from University of San Francisco. In 2014, she joined the Giants to oversee the company’s wellness and health initiatives.

Nakken’s historic moment occurred just a few days following another landmark for women in baseball, which took place on Friday. Rachel BalkovecWhen she was first female to lead an MLB affiliate, the New York Yankees’ Class-A Tampa Tarpons won 9-6 over the Lakeland Flying Tigers. 

Balkovec said to reporters prior to the game that “it’s been 10+ years of working up to this point.” According to the Associated Press. “Things are changing. Back then, I was discriminated against blatantly. While some may say it shouldn’t be said, I believe it to be part of what’s happened. It lets you see the extent to which change has occurred.

She said, “So, blatant discrimination. That was 2010, and here we are twelve years later, and I’m here at a conference as a manager.”

While there have been some steps taken by the MLB to promote gender parity in baseball, it is still not clear that professional sports will create equal opportunities for women.

According to the 2021 Racial and Gender Report CardAccording to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (IDES), the MLB received a C-grade for gender diversity because of women making up around 30% of their professional staff. Comparatively, the NFL and NBA received C+, and B grades respectively.

Take a look at:

Yankees’ Rachel Balkovec makes history as the first female manager in minor league baseball

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