SAN FRANCISCO — Alyssa Nakken said she was just doing her job. But the Giants coach’s work Tuesday night landed her in the Baseball Hall of Fame. At least, that’s where her orange City Connect helmet is headed.
When Nakken took over in the third inning for Antoan Richardson in the first-base coaches box during the Giants' game against the Padres, she became the first woman to serve in an on-field coaching role in MLB history, just the latest ceiling shattered by the Giants’ trailblazing assistant coach. The Baseball Hall of Fame recognized its significance, requesting the batting helmet Nakken wore to display in Cooperstown.
“Sometimes I think we limit ourselves to thinking what we could do, or at least that was my experience,” Nakken said. “I never thought I could do something like this because I never saw it. Sure, it’s certainly important for people to see somebody that kind of looks like them going out there and coaching in the big leagues.”
