Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, a professional baseball player who made history as the Negro Leagues’ first female pitcher, died on Tuesday. She was 82. 

Johnson’s incredible journey into professional baseball began when she first tried out for the all-white All-America Girls Professional Baseball League in 1953. At 18 years old, she was driven to break down barriers in baseball and although she was ultimately denied, the setback led her to try out for the men’s Negro League. She then made the team, and history, as the league’s first female pitcher.

Johnson signed to the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953, playing with the team until 1955. During that time, the icon had an amazing 33—8 win-loss record and a batting average of .262.

Born in Ridgeway, South Carolina, Johnson adopted the nickname “Peanut” as her career progressed. The baseball star stood a mere 5’3” —  but her height did not impede on her ability to succeed. 

In 2001, Johnson shared with the New York Post how great it felt to be a woman playing on a male-dominated team. “Being in the big ballparks and being with the fellas and knowing that I’m a girl and I’m good enough to be there, that was a tremendous thing for me,” she said. “We packed stadiums everywhere we went.”

Johansson attended NYU and completed her degree at North Carolina A&T. After later retiring from baseball, Johnson then worked as a nurse for 30 years.

In 2002, the book “The Strong Right Arm” was published, detailing all of the hurdles Johnson had to jump through to become the professional athlete she’s now remembered as.

On her life, Johnson’s cousin Dawn Everett told the post, “She was something for our family to look up to. Not too many did something that got that kind of recognition that she did. She made it OK for little girls to want to play a male-dominated sport. She had a dream and it came true.”