San Francisco Giants assistant Alyssa Nakken made history as the first woman to make an on-field appearance during a Major League Baseball game during the Giants' 13-2 win against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday (April 12) night.
Nakken, 31, replaced first base coach Antoan Richardson after he was ejected in the third inning, receiving cheers from the home crowd at Oracle Park and a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer after taking the field.
"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. 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," Nakken said via ESPN.
The Baseball Hall of Fame confirmed the helmet worn by Nakken during her appearance will be enshrined at its museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had "prepared for this moment" ahead of time by working alongside Richardson and other coaches.
"So it's not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren't seen," Kapler said via ESPN. "So it's nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field."
Richardson, who is Black, was ejected following a spat with Padres third base coach Mike Shildt, who he accused of yelling a phrase that "reeked undertones of racism" during the altercation, but said he was "very proud" of Nakken's historic moment in his absence.
"I'm really excited that Alyssa got her opportunity to make her major league debut and I'm very proud of her," Richardson said via ESPN. "I think she did a really wonderful job and we got a win, so that's the most important thing."
Nakken is an assistant coach who primarily works on baserunning and outfield defense.
She typically watches games from an indoor batting cage near the team's dugout and has a Giants jersey on standby if needed for a situation similar to Tuesday night.