On Nov. 13, Kim Ng made history by becoming general manager of the Miami Marlins. She is the first female Asian American general manager in Major League Baseball and across the four major American professional sports. 

Ng, who is 51, has been a longtime baseball executive. In her 30-year career, she spent the last nine years as MLB’s vice president of baseball operations and served as assistant general manager for the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. She was the youngest person ever to hold the assistant general manager position. Her first job was as a special projects analyst for the Chicago White Sox.

In 2015, Kim Ng received national attention by making Forbes Magazine’s list of the most powerful women in sports (No. 5) and on the list of influential minorities in sports (No. 13). These accolades allowed Kim to interview for five Major League Baseball general manager positions over the next few years. It culminated with the recent offer from the Miami Marlins baseball team to be their general manager. She recently accepted this position and shared how excited she is to be part of this organization and work with owner Derek Jeter.

“I entered Major League Baseball as an intern, and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next general manager,” Ng said in a statement. “We are building for the long term in South Florida, developing forward-thinking, collaborative, creative baseball operations made up of incredibly talented and dedicated staff who have, over the last few years, laid a great foundation for success. This challenge is one I don’t take lightly. When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League Team, but I am dogged to pursue my goals. My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami.”

Ng had previously interviewed for at least five open general manager positions multiple times over the past 15 or so years, but was passed up each time. 

This momentous achievement makes Ng the most high-ranking woman in sports. This achievement wasn’t accomplished without hardships. She’s faced the reality that sports is a male-dominated industry by being the only woman in the room throughout her career.

Although it’s taken time, Ng has proved that women can break down the gender barriers in the sports industry.

On the radio show “Game Changers,” Ng said, “I think there are examples of guys, particularly early on in my career before I had risen the ranks, who just hadn’t seen women before, in the front office or out on the field before batting practice. There’s a novelty about it, but definitely, some side-glancing going on. One of the things I’ve really tried to do in my career is to prove myself day in and day out and make sure I align myself with people who can be influential and who have really good reputations.”