Rachel Balkovec, the first full-time female manager in affiliated baseball history, won her first game, as the Tampa Tarpons (A, Yankees) opened their season with a 9-6 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Friday night at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
The crowd of 2,893 included her parents and more than 1,000 female student athletes who attended the game thanks to a donation from the Detroit Tigers Foundation. The first baseball used in the game, together with Balkovec's jersey and cap, were sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Balkovec, 34, has worked as a minor league Strength and Conditioning Intern (Cardinals, 2012 and White Sox, 2013), a minor league Strength and Conditioning Coordinator (Cardinals, 2014), Latin American Strength and Conditioning Coordinator (Astros, 2016), minor league Strength and Conditioning Coach (Astros, 2018), and minor league Hitting Coach (Yankees, 2019).