BUT FIRST NBC’S KATHY PARK WITH
THE BACK STORY.
>> Reporter: THIS MORNING, A BIG
BREAKTHROUGH IN MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL.
THE MIAMI MARLINS NAMING KIM NG
THE TEAM’S NEXT GENERAL MANAGER.
THE HISTORIC MOVE NOW MAKING HER
THE HIGHEST RANKING WOMAN AND
ASIAN AMERICAN IN THE LEAGUE’S
151-YEAR HISTORY.
SHE SAYS 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 IN THE PURSUIT OF MY
GOALS.
>> HOW QUALIFIED IS SHE TO BE IN
THIS POSITION?
>> OVERQUALIFIED.
REALLY OVERQUALIFIED.
I WOULD DESCRIBE HER AS A
BASEBALL PERSON, BASEBALL
PERSON.
>> Reporter: HER RISE TO THE TOP
WAS 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING IN A
FIELD DOMINATED BY MEN AND FEW
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
>> WHAT GOT ME TO WHERE I AM AT
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IS JUST
WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN.
>> Reporter: NG’S RESUME
INCLUDES STOPS WITH THE WHITE
SOX, YANKEES, DODGERS, PLUS
EIGHT POSTSEASON APPEARANCES,
SIX LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES,
AND THREE WORLD SERIES RINGS.
HER NEW BOSS, HALL OF FAMER
DEREK JETER, THE CEO OF THE
TEAM, SAYS SHE’LL BRING A WEALTH
OF KNOWLEDGE AND
CHAMPIONSHIP-LEVEL EXPERIENCE TO
THE MIAMI MARLINS.
HER PURSUIT OF GREATNESS
INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION.
>> THERE’S A BIG WAVE OF GIRLS
AND WOMEN WHO WANT TO WORK IN
BASEBALL, AND NOW IT’S EASY TO
TURN TO SOMEONE AND SAY YOU WILL
NOT HAVE TO BE THE FIRST, THIS
IS WHO YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD.
>> Reporter: AN HISTORIC TRIAL
BLAZING A TRAIL FOR OTHERS TO
FOLLOW.
KATHY PARK, NBC NEWS, NEW YORK.
>> SAVANNAH AND I ARE BEAMING.
LET’S SAY GOOD MORNING TO THE
HISTORY MAKER HERSELF, GENERAL
MANAGER NG.
GOOD MORNING, IT’S GREAT TO SEE
YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME
TODAY.
>> WE LOVED WATCHING THAT PIECE
ABOUT YOU.
WILL YOU JUST TELL US, I KNOW
THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME
COMING, BUT THE MOMENT YOU
LEARNED THAT THIS JOB WAS YOURS.
>> THE MOMENT, THE SECOND I
ACTUALLY DIDN’T BELIEVE IT.
I WAS IN UTTER DISBELIEF.
I GENERALLY PLAY THINGS FAIRLY
CLOSE TO THE VEST, AND DEREK
JETER, WE WERE ON ZOOM, LOOKED
AT ME AND HE SAID, YOU CAN AT
LEAST SMILE.
HE SAID YOU KIND OF STARTED BUT
THEN YOU STOPPED.
AT THAT POINT I THINK I GOT A
LITTLE BIT OVERWHELMED JUST IN
TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, REALIZING IT
HAD BEEN SO MANY YEARS IN THE
MAKING AND IT WAS FINALLY HERE.
>> IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD.
I WAS READING ABOUT YOUR
HISTORY.
I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS YOUNG LADY
IN 1990 WALKING IN AS AN INTERN
TO THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX.
AND WHAT SHE WOULD THINK TO SEE
YOU NOW.
ARE YOU LETTING YOURSELF REFLECT
BACK ON THIS DECADES-LONG
JOURNEY YOU’VE HAD IN BASEBALL?
>> I WILL SAY IT WAS HARD NOT TO
ON FRIDAY.
AS SOON AS I HEARD, I WAS REALLY
SORT OF OFF TO THE RACES.
MY MINDING WAS JUST RACING WITH
WHAT I HAD TO GET DONE.
BUT FRIDAY WAS REALLY A DAY OF
REFLECTION AFTER IT WAS
ANNOUNCED, BECAUSE I GOT JUST SO
MANY EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES,
OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AND LOVE
AND CONGRATULATIONS.
SO I DID ALLOW MYSELF FRIDAY TO
FEEL THAT.
BUT IT’S JUST BEEN A TREMENDOUS
72 HOURS.
>> WELL, YOU’RE GETTING LOVE
FROM EVERYWHERE.
I SAW MICHELLE OBAMA TWEET,
TRISHA YEARWOOD TWEET.
YOU’RE GETTING THEM FROM
EVERYWHERE.
I WAS STRUCK BY SOMETHING THAT
JOE TORRE SAID BACK IN 2015.
THIS IS WHAT HE SAID ABOUT YOU.
I ALWAYS TALK HER UP AT OWNERS
MEETINGS, HE SAID.
AT SOME POINT SOMEBODY JUST HAS
TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT SHE’S A
WOMAN AND JUST MAKE A BASEBALL
DECISION.
IF THEY DO THAT, THEN I THINK
SHE WILL GET AN OPPORTUNITY
SOMEWHERE.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IS
THIS ALL ABOUT JUST PATIENCE?
BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE AFTER
YOU HAVE APPLIED FOR SEVERAL GM
JOBS AND NOT GOTTEN THEM THAT
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE JUST
THROWN UP THEIR ARMS AND SAID,
LOOK, THIS ISN’T FOR ME.
SO WAS IT PATIENCE OR WHAT KIND
OF JUST KEPT YOU GOING?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY IT WAS
PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE.
AFTER THE FIRST HANDFUL OF
TIMES, YOU DO, YOU GET A LITTLE
BIT DEJECTED AND IT’S HARD.
IT’S HARD BECAUSE EVERYBODY
KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR
LIFE AND THAT YOU, QUOTE, FAILED
AGAIN.
BUT I THINK THERE’S NO OTHER
CHOICE BUT TO KEEP GOING ON AND
TO KEEP PUSHING THROUGH.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID IF IT NEVER
HAPPENED, I WOULDN’T EVER LOOK
AT MY CAREER AS A FAILURE,
ABSOLUTELY THE OPPOSITE.
I THINK I’VE HAD A GREAT CAREER
AND THIS IS ICING ON THE CAKE.
>> LOOK AT YOU NOW.
I ACTUALLY THINK THAT’S A MORE
VALUABLE LESSON THAT YOU COULD
TEACH, THAT PERSISTENCE AND
RESILIENCE.
HERE IT HAS ALL WORKED OUT.
WE’LL BE CHEERING FOR YOU.