First on first: Alyssa Nakken makes coaching history
SAN FRANCISCO — Alyssa Nakken broke another historic barrier on Tuesday night, becoming the first woman to coach on the field in a Major League game in the Giants’ 13-2 victory over the Padres at Oracle Park.
Nakken took over as the Giants’ first-base coach in the top of the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected from the game by crew chief Greg Gibson following a dispute with Padres third-base coach Mike Shildt. Nakken said bench coach Kai Correa came down to the batting cages and told her she would be replacing Richardson. And so she made her on-field coaching debut with the Giants, who originally hired the 31-year-old as an assistant coach in January 2020.
The Giants have been grooming Nakken for a possible on-field coaching position for a while, as she previously moonlighted as the club’s first-base coach during an exhibition game against the A’s at the Coliseum two years ago.
“Our first-base coach got thrown out,” Nakken said. “I’ve been in training as a first-base coach for the last few years. I work alongside Antoan, so I stepped into what I’ve been hired to do.”
Story by: Maria I. Guardado: https://twitter.com/mi_guardado