Colorado Springs native and MLB reporter Alanna Rizzo makes history

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. (KRDO)-- Long-time MLB reporter and Sierra High School alum, Alanna Rizzo made history on Tuesday when she became part of the MLB's first all-female broadcast crew.

For the first time ever in Major League Baseball history, an all-female broadcast crew called a game, The Tampa Bay Rays win over the Baltimore Orioles.

The broadcast was on Youtube and featured Melanie Newman who did play-by-play along with Sarah Langs as the color commentator. Rizzo was the on-field reporter, while Lauren Gardner, also from Colorado, and Heidi Watney hosted the pre and post shows.

The Springs native says though this moment is historic, she wants women to know that they can also make history if they work hard.

"The excuse that 'Oh you guys have never played the game' to me that is very tired. If you look across the league at all 30 teams and you look at their play-by-play announcers all of which are men on the TV side the majority of them have not played the game," expressed Rizzo.

Moreover, though she wants she shares most of the women on this broadcast earned their spot.

"We have to understand the magnitude of the moment that was the first time ever in a sport that is 100 years old that was the first time it was an all female crew, but I also want people to recognize that's just our daily job, we've all been doing this for decades. It is not like they just threw the five of us together for clickbait," said Rizzo.

It’s a moment she hopes will eventually become the norm.

"While I also want to acknowledge the moment, I also want gender to be taken out of it and just show people that you know what? It is just another broadcast- we're just talking about baseball and we are equally as qualified as our male counterparts and hopefully it is the first of many," shared Rizzo.

Rizzo, who has covered both the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers, was also the only Latina part of this historic crew and though diversity is growing in players she believes the broadcasts should represent that, too.

"Across the league there's not a lot of African-American women or Asian women, even in baseball right now and for that matter there is not even a lot of African-American males in broadcasting for baseball right now, so I think as a sport we need to start extending the talent pool of people right now," said Rizzo.

But, we couldn't end the interview without asking her perhaps one of the most important questions: her favorite restaurant in the Springs.

“I am a massive fan of Fargos pizza - I love that place," said Rizzo.

Alanna currently works for the MLB network after six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.