A graduate of theUniversity of Chicago, Ng playedcollege softball. She then worked her way up in the front office of several Major League Baseball teams and became a vice president of the league. She was named the Marlins' general manager in 2020.
Ng began her career as an intern with theChicago White Sox after graduating from the University of Chicago and her first project was to conduct research onRule 5 draftees which took advantage of Ng's love of statistics and analyzing scouting reports.[16] She was hired full time in 1991[17] and became special projects analyst before being promoted to assistant director of baseball operations under then-GMRon Schueler in 1995.[9] In 1995 she became the youngest person, and the first woman, to present a salary arbitration case in the major leagues when she worked for the White Sox, regarding the case ofpitcherAlex Fernandez, and won.[18] Prompted by a desire to expand her networks and learn how executives from other clubs conducted business, Ng then worked in the offices of theAmerican League in 1997, where she was director of waivers and records, reviewing all transactions.[16][19]
In March 1998,[20] she was recruited by general managerBrian Cashman to work for theNew York Yankees as assistant general manager, becoming the youngest in the major leagues, at age 29, and the second woman ever to hold the position[11] behind onlyElaine Weddington Steward, who, in 1990, became the assistant general manager of theBoston Red Sox.[21] Ng joined theLos Angeles Dodgers as vice president and assistant general manager in 2001.[22] In 2003,Bill Singer was fired from his position as special assistant of theNew York Mets after making drunken racist remarks against Ng at a hotel bar during general managers' meetings, including asking her "Where are you from?" and speaking in a mock Chinese accent.[23]
In 2005, Ng was interviewed for the vacant position of Dodgers general manager. No woman had ever been a GM in any major sport. The Dodgers hiredNed Colletti as their GM, who immediately kept Ng on as his assistant.[24] Between 2005 and 2020, Ng interviewed for the general manager position with at least five teams,[25] including theSeattle Mariners,San Diego Padres,Anaheim Angels, andSan Francisco Giants. On March 8, 2011, Ng announced that she was leaving the Dodgers to take on the position of senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, where she would report to former Yankees and Dodgers managerJoe Torre.[26][27]
On November 13, 2020, Ng was hired as general manager of theMiami Marlins. She became the first woman to become a general manager of a men's team in the history of major North American sports, as well asthe first female Asian-American and first East Asian-American general manager in MLB history.[3][28][29] Upon being unveiled as the new Marlins' general manager, Ng received congratulatory messages from figures such asMichelle Obama,Billie Jean King, andMartina Navratilova.[16] On September 30, 2023, with the Marlins' 7–3 win in Pittsburgh, the Marlins clinched their fourth postseason berth, making her the first woman GM in MLB history to lead a playoff team.[30] It was the club's first postseason appearance since 2020, although Ng's team was immediately eliminated without a playoff win. In October, Ng declined to exercise heroption for the 2024 season, reportedly because she learned the team sought to hire a president of baseball operations, which would have left her second in command in her department.[2][31]
In 2014,Bleacher Report included Ng on its list of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports.[33] In 2015,Forbes ranked Ng #13 on its list of the most influential minorities in sports[34] and #5 on its list of the most powerful women in sports.[35] In 2017,Adweek named Ng one of the most powerful women in sports.[36]
Ng was selected for the inaugural 2021Forbes 50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50.[37]
^Reid, Jason (November 15, 2003)."Ng Is Victim of Racial Taunts".The Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2014.
