San Francisco Giants’ backup first base coach Alyssa Nakken made her MLB debut the other night against the Padres, making history.
After first base coach Antoan Richardson was ejected for yelling at Padres’ coach Mike Shildt (Richardson claims Shildt yelled remarks at him which “reeked undertones of racism”), Nakken was able to enter the game as a replacement of Richardson.
With her appearance, Nakken became the first woman to ever coach at the Major League level, and the first female coach to ever make an on-field appearance. With the Giants winning 10-1 at the time, Oracle Park erupted into cheers as a proud Nakken walked onto the field, and Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer shook her hand.
History.
Alyssa Nakken becomes the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game after Antoan Richardson was ejected.
Eric Hosmer showed his appreciation 🤝 pic.twitter.com/RdGWKjfcnu
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 13, 2022
“Right now in this moment as I reflect back, I reflect back to somebody needed to go out, we needed a coach to coach first base, our first-base coach got thrown out,” Nakken said. “I’ve been in training as a first-base coach for the last few years and work alongside Antoan, so I stepped in to what I’ve been hired to do, is support this staff and this team.”
“It’s not a foreign spot on the field for her,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “She does so many other things well that aren’t seen. So it’s nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field.”
Despite his ejection, Antoan Richardson had some nice words for Nakken. “I’m really excited that Alyssa got her opportunity to make her major league debut and I’m very proud of her,” he said. “I think she did a really wonderful job and we got a win, so that’s the most important thing.”
Alyssa Nakken becomes the first woman to coach on the field of an MLB game 👏 @HighlightHER pic.twitter.com/3yyMXcZaEV
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 13, 2022
“I think we’re all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis and I think, yes, this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility, obviously there’s a historical nature to it,” Nakken continued. “But again, this is my job.”
Nakken made history back in 2020 when the Giants hired her as the first-ever full-time female coach. Her helmet which she wore in Tuesday’s game when she made her debut is already en route to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. With this, it is hopeful that Nakken’s debut will open the door for more opportunities for women in sports.
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