A graduate of the University of Chicago, Ng played college 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 the Chicago White Sox after graduating from the University of Chicago and her first project was to conduct research on Rule 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-GM Ron 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 of pitcherAlex 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 the American 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 manager Brian Cashman to work for the New 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 only Elaine Weddington Steward, who, in 1990, became the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox[21] Ng joined the Los 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 the New 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 hired Ned 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 the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, and San 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 manager Joe Torre.[26][27]
On November 13, 2020, Ng was hired as general manager of the Miami 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 as the 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 as Michelle Obama, Billie Jean King, and Martina 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 her option 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]
Awards
In 2014, Bleacher Report included Ng on its list of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports.[32] In 2015, Forbes ranked Ng #13 on its list of the most influential minorities in sports[33] and #5 on its list of the most powerful women in sports.[34] In 2017, Adweek named Ng one of the most powerful women in sports.[35]
Ng was selected for the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50.[36]
Personal life
Ng is married to Tony Markward, co-owner of Silas Wines in Oregon.[37]
^Reid, Jason (November 15, 2003). "Ng Is Victim of Racial Taunts". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
