Maxine Kline (later Randall, September 16, 1929 – June 9, 2022)[1] was a female starting pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
She made the All-Star Team for the initial time, and also collected career numbers in strikeouts (87) and pitching appearances (33) while posting a .719 winning percentage and 2.44 ERA.
In the league's hitting-dominated last season in 1954, she led all pitchers in wins (18), appearances (28), complete games (24), innings (181) and shutouts (6), while recording her second no-hitter on June 20, once again against the Grand Rapids Chicks.
From 1947 to 1951 Fort Wayne was eliminated in the opening round, being knocked out by the South Bend Blue Sox in 1952 and the Grand Rapids Chicks in 1953, after posting the best regular-season record.
Then, in 1954 the Daisies disposed of Grand Rapids and South Bend in the playoffs, advancing to the Championship Series to face the Kalamazoo Lassies, but were beaten in the decisive Game 5 during what turned out to be the AAGPBL final season.
[7] Once the league folded, Kline joined several other players selected by former Daisies manager Bill Allington to play for the national touring team known as the All-Americans.
The squad played 100 games from 1955 to 1957, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon and a Ford Country Sedan.