Elephant Rumblings: Alyssa Nakken becomes first woman to coach in MLB game

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

We’re five games into the 2022 season and the A’s are a game short of .500, but they’re showing a lot of fighting spirit and giving us some exciting contests so far. Good luck to Frankie Montas in his start tonight—hopefully he can get his first win and the A’s can take the lead in their series in St. Petersburg against the Rays!

Elsewhere last night, history was made when Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to coach a base and serve on the field in a regular season MLB game, reported John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. In the third inning of a game between the Padres and Giants at Oracle stadium, Giants first base coach Antoan Richardson was ejected, and Nakken got the nod to coach first.

This wasn’t the first barrier broken by Alyssa. She also became the first full-time female coach in MLB history before the 2020 season when Giants manager Gabe Kapler brought her onto the team’s staff. Kapler has said he believes Nakken has what it takes to move all the way up to manager someday.

Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer recognized the gravity of the situation when Nakken took her place in the coach’s box and congratulated her:

I know we don’t have a lot of Giants fans here on AN, and I wouldn’t want to be mistaken for one myself, but the organization deserves credit for being the first to put a woman coach on the field in a big league game. Obviously, Nakken herself deserves the most credit for working her way through a heavily male dominated profession to coach in the MLB. We’re better off for having greater diversity in the industry, and AN warmly congratulates Alyssa for her historic achievements!

A’s Coverage:

• Ashford: Game #5: A’s blow late lead and offensive outburst, lose to Rays 9-8
• Rogers: The new CBA was supposed to help fix tanking in MLB — here’s why it hasn’t
• NBC Sports: Report: White Sox won’t trade Vaughn to A’s for Montas
• Kawahara: A’s Paul Blackburn moves fastball up to mow down Rays hitters ($)
• Kawahara: In the end, A’s catcher Sean Murphy and his backside go viral after HBP ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Shea: She’s on first: Giants’ coach Alyssa Nakken makes major-league history
• The Athletic: Juan Soto becomes youngest Nationals player to record 100 career home runs ($)
• Adams: White Sox Place Lucas Giolito, AJ Pollock On Injured List
• McCullough: How does Aaron Judge handle his contract year? Several elite MLB peers reflect on their own experiences ($)
• Today in Baseball History

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