Alyssa Nakken Makes History as MLB's First Female Coach on the Field During Giants Game

Alyssa Nakken
Alyssa Nakken
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Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Alyssa Nakken

Alyssa Nakken took a huge step for women in sports on Tuesday night.

The Giants assistant coach took the field to coach first base during the San Francisco Giants game against the San Diego Padres — the first female MLB coach to do so.

Nakken, who became the first woman to be hired to a full-time coaching role in the MLB in 2020, was called to first base from the batting cage in the third inning. Nakken replaced coach Antoan Richardson after he was ejected.

The team ultimately won, 13-2.

Nakken told reporters that she was more than ready for the historic moment, which earned her cheers from fans at San Francisco's Oracle Park.

"I think we're all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis and I think, yes, this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility, obviously there's a historical nature to it," Nakken said, according to the Associated Press. "But again, this is my job."

RELATED: San Francisco Giants Coach Alyssa Nakken on Building a Community With Other Women in MLB

Nakken's colleagues praised her readiness for her role. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, "She does so many other things will that aren't seen. So it's nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field," the AP reported.

Alyssa Nakken
Alyssa Nakken

Ezra Shaw/Getty Alyssa Nakken

The game-changing moment has already earned Nakken a spot in Cooperstown, New York's Baseball Hall of Fame: her helmet from Tuesday is being sent there, the AP said.

Nakken has been fighting for a stronger community of women in the MLB and was recently featured in A Conversation: Women on the Field, a special edition of the MLB Networks' MLB Tonight.

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"There's a lot of people that sure you trust and can talk to about things but sometimes they just don't get it because they haven't been in those positions," she said in the special, which PEOPLE had an exclusive clip from.

Continued Nakken, "So it is nice to just kind of swap stories now that we're able to be together and actually go out to dinners and stuff. It's just been amazing to get to know some of the women that are in our minor league system right now and hear their stories and share a locker room with them and just be around more women in the game."