Alyssa Nakken coaches first base for Giants in exhibition game

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Tuesday, July 21, 2020

San Francisco's Alyssa Nakken on Monday night became the first woman to coach in an on-field capacity during a major league game when she took over as Giants first-base coach.

She replaced Antoan Richardson in the late innings of Monday's exhibition at the Oakland Athletics.

"Congratulations on making history!'' Giants outfielderHunter Pence posted on Twitter shortly after the final out of San Francisco's 6-2 win.

Nakken joined first-year Giants manager Gabe Kapler's staff in January, becoming the first woman to hold a full-time coaching position at the major league level. She has been with the organization since 2014, when she started as an intern in the baseball operations department.

In February, Nakken spoke of the "great sense of responsibility" she feels to serve as an example for girls and women and show that they can work in baseball.

"I feel it's my job to honor those who have helped me to where I am," she said.

At Sacramento State from 2009 to 2012, Nakken was a three-time all-conference softball player and four-time Academic All-American. She went on to earn a master's degree in sports management from the University of San Francisco in 2015.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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