TAMPA, Fla. -- Playfully wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers football helmet, New York Yankees minor league manager Rachel Balkovec was back on the field Saturday.
Balkovec, hired as the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a major league team, was hit in the face by a batted ball during a drill March 22. The accident caused facial swelling.
The 34-year-old Balkovec took the field for the first inning to coach first base in a minor league intrasquad game. Her Bucs helmet was adorned with a Yankees logo.
"You don't have a sense of humor, you're not going to last very long out here," Balkovec said with a laugh.