Kelsie Whitmore played left field and batted ninth for the Staten Island FerryHawks on Sunday, becoming the first woman to start a game in the Atlantic League and one of the first to do so in a league connected to Major League Baseball.

The 23-year-old Whitmore cracked manager Edgardo Alfonzo’s lineup for the FerryHawks’ game at the Gastonia Honey Hunters.

Whitmore, a right-handed hitter, went 0-for-2. She struck out in her first at-bat, was hit by a pitch in the second—she hustled toward first base after being struck in the arm by a breaking pitch—and flied out to right in her third time up. She was then pulled for a pinch-hitter in a 10-5 loss.

Flawless in the field, Whitmore caught a couple of flyballs hit in her direction.

“I think we’re all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis and I think, yes, this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility, obviously there’s a historical nature to it,” she said. “But again, this is my job.”

Nakken came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected.

When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken received a warm ovation from the crowd at Oracle Park, and a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.

The New York Mets have reportedly hired Elizabeth Benn as their director of Major League operations, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

Benn had previously served as the senior coordinator of baseball operations for Major League Baseball itself. She will become the highest ranking woman to work in the baseball operations department in Mets history, per DiComo….

Benn had worked for the league office in some form or another since joining as an intern in 2017. She had filled a wide-ranging coordinator role (of labor relations, diversity and inclusion, and baseball development) until being promoted into her senior coordinator position in 2020. She had also served as an adjunct lecturer at Lehman College.

Genevieve Beacom made history with the Melbourne Aces on Saturday. With her appearance against the Adelaide Giants, Beacom became the first woman to play professional baseball in Australia.

Beacom, 17, entered the contest with the Aces trailing by four in the sixth inning. The leadoff hitter reached base against Beacom, but she managed two groundouts against the next two batters. A walk put another runner on base, but Beacom erased the threat with a flyout to end the scoreless inning.

Just like that, Beacom has a 0.00 ERA in the Australian Baseball League. Despite Beacom’s promising debut, the Aces lost the contest 7-1.

The New York Yankees are expected to name Rachel Balkovec as the new manager of their Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Balkovec is believed to be the first woman to manage on a full-time basis in MLB’s version of the minor leagues.

Balkovec, 34 years old, was previously the first woman to be named as a hitting coach. The Yankees appointed her to that position in their system prior to the 2020 season. She spent last season coaching in the Florida Complex League, but was rewarded with a spot on the Futures Game, an annual staple during MLB’s All-Star Game festivities.

“I started thinking about my journey,” Balkovec told MLB.com about that opportunity. “I’ve been in the game for more than 10 years, so this is something that’s been a long time coming. My first reaction was to make sure that this is something I have earned and that I’m getting it for the right reasons, not maybe just because of my gender.”