Her story: 1st time all-female broadcast crew calls MLB game

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — There was history — and her story, too — in the broadcast booth at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

For the first time in Major League Baseball history, an all-female announcing crew called a game as the Tampa Bay Rays played the Baltimore Orioles.

The YouTube broadcast featured Melanie Newman on play-by-play with Sarah Langs as the analyst. Alanna Rizzo was the on-field reporter, and Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner hosted the pregame and postgame coverage.

“This was so much FUN!” Langs tweeted after the Rays’ 9-3 win.

“Honored to be part of a historic moment, but more than anything, just so overjoyed to get to work alongside” her colleagues, she said, praising them as “Strong, smart & inspiring WOMEN and PEOPLE!”

Newman is the Orioles’ play-by-play radio announcer, Langs writes for MLB.com and Rizzo, Watney and Gardner are on air for MLB Network.

“It’s not a novelty, it’s about normalcy,” MLB Network tweeted.

“Trailblazers” posted the official MLB Twitter account.

Tennis champion and social justice advocate Billie Jean King celebrated the broadcast by posting on Twitter: “It’s a history-making night for #MLB.”

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