The Atlantic Bridgeport Bluefish made history yesterday with their 3-1 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Jennie Finch got her first win, being the first ever woman to manage a professional baseball team. Finch, who will guest manage the team until August, helped the Bluefish win the game with her aggressive mentality on the bases and her ability to trust the pitching staff to work out of jams. Proof of this came when Finch called Anthony Giansanti to steal which proved to be key, the steal allowed for Giansanti to avoid a double play and to be driven in the next batter, making the game 2-1 in the Bluefish’s favor. She then called another steal with Luis Nunez, this allowed Nunez to score on an error that put the Bluefish up 3-1. Finch also later in the game let her pitching staff get the job done in a one out bases loaded jam in the ninth inning.
Finch being successful as a guest manager for the Bluefish could be a start of a movement in baseball that hasn’t happened since Jackie Robinson. Women have been becoming more and more active in all of the major sports and this is just another stepping stone. If Finch can keep winning and generating positive energy around her time with the Bluefish, we can only hope that more opportunities come for women throughout the sport of baseball.
