The first female coach in MLB history is having a baby. Earlier this month, Robert Nakken, the husband of San Francisco Giants coach Alyssa Nakken, announced they are expecting their first child in February. In the social media post, Robert shared an image of a Giants custom City Connect jersey with “Nak” etched on the back along with baby Nikes. He also revealed that they are having a girl and the due date is Feb. 9, 2024.ย
“We’re all really happy for Alyssa,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said prior to the team’s game on Aug. 15, per Sports Illustrated. “She’s doing great, and we’re excited to support her through this on every level.” Alyssa Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 working as a baseball operations intern. She became an assistant coach in 2020, becoming the first woman to coach full-time in MLB. Nakken made history again last year when became the first woman to coach in the field during a regular season game, serving as the first base coach when Antoan Richardson was ejected. During spring training this year, Nakken served as a bench coach.ย
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“Everybody can just see that there are a lot of opportunities in baseball,” Nakken said last year, per MLB.com. “Sometimes I think we always limit ourselves to thinking what we could do. At least that’s my experience. I never thought that I could do something like this because I never saw it. So I think, sure, it’s certainly important for people to be able to see that this is an opportunity and they can see somebody that kind of looks like them going out there and coaching in the big leagues.” ย
Kapler said when it came to hiring Nakken, it was about hiring the best person for the job. “I think there’s always going to be question marks because people don’t have a good understanding of how valuable diversity can be in leadership positions and it’s our belief that diversity and winning are very much connected,” Kapler said last year, per ABC 7.ย
Nakken, 33, went to Sacramento State and was an all-conference and Academic All-American softball player. She received her psychology degree from Sacramento State and then earned a master’s degree in sports management from the University of San Francisco.ย
