The Boston Red Sox made history on Monday after recruiting Bianca Smith to be a minor league coach.
Bianca Smith became the first Black woman coach in professional baseball history after the Red Sox made the deal. The 29-year-old Smith is a hitting coach at Carroll University in Wisconsin.
Bianca Smith wants to make changes
In August 2019, Bianca Smith hinted that she wanted to try the coaching profession in baseball that is ruled by males. She said that her baseball journey would not turn out to be an easy one.
"The hardest part is just getting the chance," Smith said at that time.
More than a year later, Bianca Smith is now finally in the baseball limelight before making history for herself. The Boston Globe reported last week that it was confirmed that Smith would enter as a professional baseball coach for the Boston Red Sox.
When Monday came, the Red Sox stated that they would move forward with Bianca Smith as a minor league coach. This made her the first Black female coach in the history of professional baseball.
Besides being the current hitting coach at Carroll University, Smith was an assistant coach of the collegiate baseball team. She was also the assistant athletic director for compliance and administration in the university.
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According to MLB.com, Smith will work with many position players in Fort Myers, where the Red Sox's training camp is located.
"I think it's a great opportunity also to just inspire other women who are interested in this game. This is not something I thought about when I was younger and I kind of fell into it being an athlete, so I'm excited to get that chance to show what I can do," Smith told the MLB.
Bianca Smith used to play softball at Dartmouth College. She had also interned with the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers, the CBS reported. What made her a persistent mentor in the making is her determination to study biomechanics to have the upper hand in coaching.
Smith stated that she is interested to learn the mechanics of the body. Also, she explained that every athlete's physique varies, so the tendency is to expose the players to different kinds of drills. The Sewickley native aimed to bring out the best of her players by identifying the most appropriate training for each of them.
In her Twitter post on Tuesday, Bianca Smith thanked the people who supported her along the journey. She also thanked the Red Sox for giving her the opportunity to be a part of the team.
Smith is one of many women who stapled a history in professional baseball. In July, Alyssa Naken became the first woman to be an on-field coach in an MLB game wherein the San Francisco Giants closed the game at 6-2 over Oakland Athletics.
The Miami Marlins also joined the 'history' bandwagon in November 2020 when they assigned Kim Ng to be their general manager. Ng was hailed as the first female general manager in a North American professional league.
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