Jim Maloney

James William Maloney (born June 2, 1940) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds (1960–70) and California Angels (1971). One of the hardest-throwing pitchers of his era, Maloney boasted a fastball clocked at 99 miles per hour, threw two no-hitters, won 10 or more games from 1963 to 1969, and struck out more than 200 batters for four consecutive seasons (1963–66).

In 1963, Maloney was 23-7 and struck out 265 batters; in 1965, he was 20-9 and struck out 244; in 1966, he was 16-8 and struck out 216; and in 1968, he was 16-10 and struck out 181. Maloney pitched one game in the 1961 World Series, hurling 2/3 of an inning in the fifth and final game as the Reds fell to the New York Yankees.^[1]

Injuries shortened his career, robbing him of the chance to pitch for the "Big Red Machine"—the fabled Cincinnati NL dynasty from 1970-79. Maloney was able to pitch in only seven games for the 1970 Reds due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he was winless in just three starts.^[2]

Over his career, he won 134 games (all with the Reds) and lost 84, with an ERA of 3.19. In 1973, he was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.^[3]

No-hitters

Maloney pitched two games in which he gave up no hits through nine innings in 1965, while going on to win 20 games that year. His first hitless nine-inning performance in 1965 was on June 14 against the New York Mets. This game lasted through 10 scoreless innings, with Maloney striking out 18 batters while issuing one walk. But Johnny Lewis led off with a home run in the 11th inning and Maloney lost the game 1-0. At the time, that game was officially recognized as a no-hitter, but the rules were later changed to omit no-hit games that were broken up in extra innings.

His second no-hitter (and first official no-hitter under current rules), on August 19, 1965, also required 10 innings, but he won that one 1-0 over the Chicago Cubs. Maloney outdueled Larry Jackson, with the Reds winning on a Leo Cardenas home run. This was the first no-hitter in modern Major League history in which the pitcher who threw it went more than nine innings. Maloney's pitching line included 12 strikeouts, 10 walks and one hit-by-pitch. He threw 187 pitches in the game.^[4]

His second official no-hitter was on April 30, 1969, in which he beat the Houston Astros 10-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Maloney's pitching line included 13 strikeouts and five walks.^[5] Ironically, the next day Don Wilson of the Astros returned the favor to the Reds, pitching his second career no-hitter in a 4-0 Astros victory.^[6] The double no-hitters in consecutives games was the second such occurrence in Major League history. Gaylord Perry and Ray Washburn had accomplished the same feat in September 1968.

Personal

James William Maloney was born in 1940 to Earl and Marjorie (née Kickashear) Maloney. Jim has a sister, Jeanne. Jim's father was a sandlot and semi-professional baseball player on the west coast in the 1930s, who later opened one of the largest used-car dealerships in Fresno. After playing Little League and Babe Ruth baseball, Jim built a reputation as one of the finest athletes in the history of Fresno High School. Though he starred on the basketball and football teams, his passion was baseball. As a shortstop, he batted .310, .340, and .500 in his sophomore through senior seasons while leading the team to three consecutive undefeated seasons and Northern Yosemite League championships from 1956 to 1958. He was scouted by all 16 Major League teams as a shortstop. Maloney attended Fresno City College and the University of California at Berkeley and was signed by scout Bobby Mattick to the Cincinnati Reds in 1959 for a reported $100,000.^[7]

Jim and his wife, Lyn, reside in Fresno, where he is a retired former director of the city's Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council. Jim has three children with his first wife, Carolyn.^[7]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)