In this Nov. 5, 2007 file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng walks through the hotel lobby during the first day of Major League Baseball annual general managers meetings in Orlando, Fla. Ng has become the highest-ranking woman in baseball operations in the major leagues. She was hired Friday as general manager of the Miami Marlins. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)

MIAMI (AP) — Kim Ng started her Major League Baseball career as an intern, and three decades later she’s still on the rise while shattering ceilings.

Ng became the majors’ highest-ranking woman in baseball operations when she was hired Friday as general manager of the Miami Marlins. She is believed to be the first female GM in the four major North American professional sports leagues, the Marlins said.

“I think this is the most noteworthy day for baseball since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947,” said Richard Lapchick, an expert on race and gender in sports at the University of Central Florida.

Ng (pronounced Ang) won three World Series rings while spending 21 years in the front offices of the Chicago White Sox (1990-96), New York Yankees (1998-2001) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-11). She spent the past nine years with MLB as a senior vice president.

“After decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins,” Ng said in a statement. “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. My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami.”