The first female manager in the history of Minor or Major League-affiliated baseball, 34-year-old Rachel Balkovec, received high-fives and hugs from her players on April 8 following a 9-6 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers by her Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees’ Class A).
Tarpons first baseman Anthony Garcia’s seventh-inning grand slam contributed to the win. Although it was a road game, an enthusiastic crowd of about 3,000 roared their approval despite the home team’s loss.
In 2012, she began her professional career as a Minor League strength and conditioning coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Balkovec joined the Yankees organization as a hitting coach in 2019, making her the first woman in affiliated baseball to hold that position full-time.
“I view my path as an advantage,” she said in 2019. “I had to do probably much more than maybe a male counterpart, but I like that because I’m so much more prepared for the challenges that I might encounter.”
Balkovec’s game on Friday was the first time in the 146-year MLB history that a woman was at the helm of a Major League Baseball-affiliated team.
“The amount of messages I’ve gotten from Yankees coaches and employees has been incredible. It’s been all angles of support,” said Balkovec at a press conference before the season opener.
Balkovec has a B.A. in kinesiology, a master’s degree in sports administration, and did graduate work as a strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana State University, which led to a strength and conditioning internship with the St. Louis Cardinals.
