Oakland A’s Hire MLB’s First Female Coach in History-Making Move
It hasn’t been a banner season for the Oakland A’s, but 2015 may still go down as one of the more memorable years in team history.
The A’s have become the first Major League Baseball team to hire a woman as a coach.
Justine Siegal will serve as a guest instructor for the team’s Instructional League team from October 4-17 in Mesa, Ariz.
Siegal, 40, has a boatload of experience on the diamond. In 2009, she was the first woman coach in the pro baseball ranks when she was the first base coach for the Brockton Rox, an independent league team. That came in the midst of a stint working as an assistant coach for Springfield College's baseball team.
She also has the honor of being the first woman to throw batting practice in the majors, having done so for the A’s, Indians, Rays, Cardinals, Astros and Mets.
Siegal tells the San Francisco Chronicle, "It’s a dream come true. The A’s are a first-class organization and it will be an honor to wear their uniform."
Further, A's assistant GM David Forst endorsed her by saying, "We feel like Justine has a lot to offer and that (the Instructional League) is a great place to get her feet wet. She’ll be doing a little bit of everything."
It's not a permanent job, but there's a chance the gig will lead to a full-time position with Oakland.
If you think Major League Baseball is a little behind the times among the major professional sports, you're not totally wrong. Last year, Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs became the NBA's first female assistant coach and earlier this year Jen Welter became the first woman to serve as an assistant in the NFL during training camp with the Arizona Cardinals.