Giants coach thought to be first woman to formally interview for manager's job

The San Francisco Giants have made some history in their quest to replace recently fired manager Gabe Kapler. 

According to a report from the Athletic on Sunday, one of the candidates included in the first round of interviews was Alyssa Nakken, who is thought to be the first woman to ever formally interview for a manager's job in Major League Baseball. 

Nakken, 33, has been a part of the Giants' coaching staff over the past four years. Kapler initially hired her to the staff prior to the 2020 season, and she worked as an assistant that focussed on baserunner and outfield play, as well as in-game preparation. 

She also made history during the 2022 season when she took over as the Giants' first base coach in an April game when the Giants' regular first base coach was ejected from the game. That made her the first woman to ever appear as an on-field coach in Major League Baseball history. 

Along with Nakken, the Giants have also interviewed a couple of other internal candidates including bench coach Kai Correra and third base coach Mark Hallberg.

At this point, Nakken would seem to be an extreme long-shot to be the Giants' next manager, but it is still a big step for her to even be under consideration. Currently it's only a matter of when, not if, a woman becomes the head coach or manager of a men's team in one of the four major North American sports, and there are already several women serving as assistants across the leagues (including Nakken).

There is currently one woman general manager in Major League Baseball. Kim Ng has been the general manager of the Miami Marlins since the start of the 2021 season, making her the first woman to hold such a position in the four major North American sports leagues. The Marlins made the playoffs this past season.