Maxine Kline
Encyclopedia
Maxine Kline [Randall] is a former female starting pitcher
who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies
of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 7", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
-changeup
combination, mixing in her curveball
sparingly, with an impeccable control over location. A five-time member of the All-Star Team
, she hurled two no-hitter
s, averaged 17 wins per season with a career-high, league-leading 23 in 1950, and again led all pitchers with 18 wins in 1954, during what turned out to be the AAGPBL's final season. She ranks third in the All-Time list with a .678 winning percentage
and fifth with 116 wins. In three seasons her earned run average
dropped below 2.00, for a cumulative 2.05 ERA in 1,518 innings
of work.
, Kline grew up in the close-knit of Addison
. The daughter of German farmers, she had seven sisters and two brothers. Kline played softball
while growing up and later attended North Adams High School, where she led the basketball
team to three undefeated seasons. She later attended an AAGPBL tryout in Fort Wayne, Indiana
and earned a contract to play with the local Daisies, joining the team after her graduation in 1948.
, but was promoted to a Daisies pitching staff riddled with injuries to take advantage of her strong throwing arm and well-deserved self confidence. She shutout
oponnents in her first two starts, ending her rookie
season with a 8-13 record and a 2.25 ERA.
Kline had a 14-11 mark overall in 1949, including a no-hitter against the Grand Rapids Chicks
on June 12 of that year. Her most productive season came in 1950, when she paced the circuit with her career top 23 wins for only nine losses. She made the All-Star Team for the initial time, and also collected career-numbers in strikeout
s (87) and pitching appearances
(33), while posting a .719 winning percentage and 2.44 ERA. Her winning percentage was even better in 1951 as she went 18-4 (.818). In addition, she earned her second All-Star berth.
In 1952, Kline threw six shutouts in route to a 19-7 record and her third All-Star selection. She dropped to 16-14 in 1953, but again joined the All-Star squad. 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. During her career, she exhibited particular dominance against the Chicks and once hurled a 17-inning shutout against them. For the fifth consecutive year she became an All-Star.
While the Daisies made the playoffs in the seven seasons that Kline pitched for them, the team struggled during the postseason and never won a Championship Title. 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 beat in the decisive Game 5 during what turned out to be the AAGPBL final season.
Some baseball researches considers Kline one of the five best pitchers in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history, along with Jean Faut
, Helen Nicol
, Dottie Wiltse
and Connie Wisniewski
.
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
. Besides Kline, the Allington All-Stars included players as Joan Berger
, Gloria Cordes
, Jeanie Descombes
, Gertrude Dunn
, Betty Foss
, Jean Geissinger
, Katie Horstman
, Dolores Lee
, Magdalen Redman
, Ruth Richard
, Dorothy Schroeder
, Jean Smith
and Joanne Weaver
, among others.
. She currently lives on the family farm in Hillsdale
, only 10 miles from her birthplace.
launched a newsletter project to get in touch with friends, teammates and opponents, that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former players of the defunct league continued to enjoy reunions.
since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies
Fort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 7", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Overview profile
During seven years Kline was one of the best overhand pitchers in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She relied on a fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
-changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
combination, mixing in her curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
sparingly, with an impeccable control over location. A five-time member of the All-Star Team
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through ....
, she hurled two no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
s, averaged 17 wins per season with a career-high, league-leading 23 in 1950, and again led all pitchers with 18 wins in 1954, during what turned out to be the AAGPBL's final season. She ranks third in the All-Time list with a .678 winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
and fifth with 116 wins. In three seasons her earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
dropped below 2.00, for a cumulative 2.05 ERA in 1,518 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
of work.
Early life
A native of North Adams, MichiganNorth Adams, Michigan
North Adams is a village in Adams Township of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 514 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
, Kline grew up in the close-knit of Addison
Addison, Michigan
Addison is a village in Lenawee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 627. The village is located on the boundary between Rollin Township on the south and Woodstock Township on the north.-Geography:...
. The daughter of German farmers, she had seven sisters and two brothers. Kline played softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
while growing up and later attended North Adams High School, where she led the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team to three undefeated seasons. She later attended an AAGPBL tryout in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
and earned a contract to play with the local Daisies, joining the team after her graduation in 1948.
AAGPBL career
Initially playing with a softball, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League eventually employed a regulation baseball, with overhand pitching permitted starting in 1948. This innovation did not disrupt Kline, unlike many pitchers in the league. She started her career at outfieldOutfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
, but was promoted to a Daisies pitching staff riddled with injuries to take advantage of her strong throwing arm and well-deserved self confidence. She shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
oponnents in her first two starts, ending her rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season with a 8-13 record and a 2.25 ERA.
Kline had a 14-11 mark overall in 1949, including a no-hitter against the Grand Rapids Chicks
Grand Rapids Chicks
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953....
on June 12 of that year. Her most productive season came in 1950, when she paced the circuit with her career top 23 wins for only nine losses. She made the All-Star Team for the initial time, and also collected career-numbers in strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s (87) and pitching appearances
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
(33), while posting a .719 winning percentage and 2.44 ERA. Her winning percentage was even better in 1951 as she went 18-4 (.818). In addition, she earned her second All-Star berth.
In 1952, Kline threw six shutouts in route to a 19-7 record and her third All-Star selection. She dropped to 16-14 in 1953, but again joined the All-Star squad. 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. During her career, she exhibited particular dominance against the Chicks and once hurled a 17-inning shutout against them. For the fifth consecutive year she became an All-Star.
While the Daisies made the playoffs in the seven seasons that Kline pitched for them, the team struggled during the postseason and never won a Championship Title. From 1947 to 1951 Fort Wayne was eliminated in the opening round, being knocked out by the South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
in 1952 and the Grand Rapids Chicks
Grand Rapids Chicks
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953....
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
Kalamazoo Lassies
The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the...
, but were beat in the decisive Game 5 during what turned out to be the AAGPBL final season.
Some baseball researches considers Kline one of the five best pitchers in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history, along with Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, Helen Nicol
Helen Nicol
Helen Nicol is a Canadian former baseball pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Listed at 5' 3", 120 lb., Nicol batted and threw right-handed...
, Dottie Wiltse
Dottie Wiltse Collins
Dorothy Wiltse Collins [Dottie] was an American pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was in existence from 1943–54....
and Connie Wisniewski
Connie Wisniewski
Constance Wisniewski was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
.
Bill Allington All-Stars
Once the league folded, Kline joined several other players selected by former Daisies managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Bill Allington
Bill Allington
William Baird Allington was an American Minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" , 160 lb., Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan....
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
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
and a Ford Country Sedan
Ford Country Sedan
The Ford Country Sedan was a full-size station wagon built by the Ford Motor Company from 1952 until 1974.It was based on the Ford full-size car line available in each year. The Country Sedan was the mid-trim station wagon in the Ford range. Unlike the Country Squire, the Country Sedan featured...
. Besides Kline, the Allington All-Stars included players as Joan Berger
Joan Berger
Joan Berger [Knebl] is a former female infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 132 lb., Berger batted and threw right handed...
, Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Jeanie Descombes
Jeanie Descombes
Jeneane Descombes Lesko is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw left-handed...
, Gertrude Dunn
Gertrude Dunn
Gertrude Dunn was an American baseball player with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league made famous by the 1992 movie A League Of Their Own. She played shortstop on two teams, the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox, and was named "Rookie of the Year" in . ...
, Betty Foss
Betty Foss
Betty Foss [Fossey] was a infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying...
, Jean Geissinger
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...
, Katie Horstman
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Dolores Lee
Dolores Lee
Dolores Margaret Lee is a former female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, Magdalen Redman
Magdalen Redman
Magdalen Redman [״Mamie״] is a former catcher and utility infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard [Richie] is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
, Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder [″Dottie″] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed...
, Jean Smith
Jean Smith (baseball)
Jean Marie Smith was an outfielder and relief pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 128...
and Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, among others.
Private life
In 1973 Kline married Robert Randall, whom she met while working for Jonesville Automotive Products in North Adams. Retired, but very active, she played in the AAGPBL reunion game in 1984, where she belted a home runHome run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. She currently lives on the family farm in Hillsdale
Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale is a city in the state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,305. It is the county seat of Hillsdale County, and is run as a council-manager government....
, only 10 miles from her birthplace.
Pitching statistics
| GP Games pitched In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while... | W | L | W-L% | ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... | IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | ER Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... | BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... | SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... | WHIP Walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base... | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 196 | 116 | 65 | .678 | 2.05 | 1518 | 1244 | 538 | 394 | 389 | 495 | 1.0757 | 1.27 |
Players Association
When the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was unable to continue in 1955, its history and its significance were soon forgotten. Many people in the 1950s thought that women were not supposed to play baseball, so most female athletes competed on other fields of endeavor. Finally, in 1980, former pitcher June PeppasJune Peppas
June Peppas is a former first basewoman and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.-Early life:...
launched a newsletter project to get in touch with friends, teammates and opponents, that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former players of the defunct league continued to enjoy reunions.
Hall of Fame honors
The AAGPBL Players Association movement helped to bring the league story to the public eye. The association was largely responsible for the opening of a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New YorkCooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience.
A League of Their Own
- A League of Their OwnA League of Their OwnA League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
is a 1992 film about the first season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. While the film does not use real names, filmmaker Penny MarshallPenny MarshallPenny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
seemed to be aiming for realism, as her film includes fake newsreel footage and pseudo-documentary present day scenes at the beginning and end of the fictitiousFictionFiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
story. A League of Their Own itself was inspired by the 1987 documentary of the same title, written and produced by Kelly Candaele, one of the five sons of Helen CallaghanHelen CallaghanHelen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
, who in 1945 won the AAGPBL batting championship with a .299 average. The AAGPBL players were relatively unknown until the Marshall's film was exhibited for the first time. After that, the AAGPBL Players Association reunions became formal annual events in 1998.