Justine Siegal

Justine Siegal
Born1975 (age 48–49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Education
Occupation(s)Sports Educator, Director, Consultant, Baseball developer
EmployerBaseball For All
Known forfirst female coach of a professional men's baseball team
TitleFounder/Executive Director
SpouseJon Freeman
Websitehttps://www.justinesiegal.com/

Justine Siegal (born 1975) is an American baseball coach, sports educator and the founder of Baseball For All. In 2009, she became the first female coach of a professional men's baseball team, when she worked for the Brockton Rox, in the independent Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball.[1] In 2011, she became the first woman to throw batting practice to an MLB team, the Cleveland Indians during spring training. In 2015, hired by the Oakland Athletics for a two-week coaching stint in their instructional league in Arizona, she became the first female coach employed by an MLB team.[2] She has also thrown batting practice to the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, and New York Mets.[3][4][5][6]

Siegal is particularly interested and involved in sports gender equity, and noted for her success in coaching baseball in contexts that were previously male-only.[7]

Siegal coached Israel National Baseball Team at the 2016 qualifier for the 2017 World Baseball classic.[8]

  1. ^ "Justine Siegal To Blaze Trail As Manager—Albeit Briefly". Baseball America. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Justine Siegal first female coach in Majors". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. ^ "Baseball Video Highlights & Clips", Siegal moves onto Athletics batting practice (Video), MLB.
  4. ^ "Advocate for Women in Baseball Finally Gets to Be One", The New York Times, 2011-02-22, retrieved 11 October 2013.
  5. ^ "2011 spring training: Cleveland Indians put first woman on MLB mound — for batting practice", ESPN, Go, 21 February 2011.
  6. ^ Dream Comes True For Female Pitcher, NPR, 2011-02-23.
  7. ^ Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball - Google Books
  8. ^ "Team Israel Makes History in Brooklyn at the WBC Qualifier". Israel Baseball. Retrieved 14 March 2021.