Rachel Balkovec cheered, wins debut managing Yanks affiliate

LAKELAND, Fla. — Cheered by many fans who came just to see her make history, Rachel Balkovec debuted with a win Friday night as the first woman to manage the affiliate of a Major League Baseball team. “Let’s go, Rachel!” It came from a group of girls as the Tarpons played the Flying Tigers in the Florida State League. “They’re here in this moment and maybe they don’t even fully understand it right now, but I think obviously in the future when they get into their professional careers and maybe hit some brick walls that they’ll reflect on this moment,” Balkovec said. “100%, I’ll never forget this game, never,” Yankees highly rated prospect and Tarpons center fielder Jasson Dominguez said. Clad in Yankees’ road gray pants and blue Tarpons jersey and hat, Balkovec signed autographs along the right-field line and next to Tampa’s third-base side dugout as planes from the nearby Sun ‘n’ Fun Aerospace Expo buzzed overhead.