Yankees minor-league coach Rachel Balkovec makes history, wins first game as manager

New York Yankees minor-league manager Rachel Balkovec made history the instant she took the field Friday. Then, she decided to break some more records.

Balkovec won her managerial debut with the Tampa Tarpons — a minor-league affiliate of the Yankees — on Friday. In doing so, Balkovec became both the first woman to manage a game and win a game with a team affiliated with MLB.

For the women before her, the women beside her, and the women yet to come.

Last night, @_rachelbalkovec made history as the first female manager in affiliated baseball at the Major or Minor league levels. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eKHXixKnyi

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 9, 2022

The Tarpons defeated the Lakeland Flying Tigers by a score of 9-6. The Tarpons fell behind early, but rallied in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to take the lead. The team then scored four runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. Anthony Garcia and Antonio Gomez were the standout performers on the field. Garcia hit a grand slam in the seventh inning and Gomez drove in all three runs in the fifth with a bases-loaded triple.

Rachel Balkovec builds on impressive coaching resume

Balkovec started coaching in MLB in 2016, when she was hired as a strength and conditioning coordinator with the Houston Astros. She worked her way up from there, eventually becoming a hitting coordinator with the Yankees in 2019.

Balkovec coached in the Australian Baseball League after the 2020 MLB minor-league season was canceled due to COVID-19. The Yankees announced in January that Balkovec would coach the Tarpons this season.


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