Jim Maloney

Jim Maloney, born James William Maloney on June 2, 1940, in Fresno, California, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds (1960–1970) and finished with the California Angels in 1971. Known as one of the hardest throwers of the 1960s, he tossed two no-hitters, won at least ten games every season from 1963 through 1969, and topped 200 strikeouts in four straight years.

Maloney grew up in Fresno, the son of Earl and Marjorie Maloney, with a sister named Jeanne. His father played sandlot and semi-pro ball on the West Coast in the 1930s before running one of Fresno’s largest used car dealerships. After Little League and Babe Ruth baseball, Maloney became regarded as one of the finest athletes in Fresno High School history. He starred in basketball and football, but baseball was his passion. Playing shortstop, he batted .310, .340, and .500 in his sophomore through senior years, leading his team to three straight undefeated seasons and Northern Yosemite League championships from 1956 to 1958. All 16 major league teams scouted him as a shortstop. He briefly attended UC Berkeley, then Fresno City College, where scout Bobby Mattick urged him to pitch. In 1959, he signed with the Reds for a reported $100,000.

At age 21 in 1961, Maloney made one World Series appearance, pitching 2/3 of an inning in relief during the fifth and final game as the Reds lost to the New York Yankees. His peak years included a 23–7 record with 265 strikeouts in 1963; 20–9 with 244 strikeouts in 1965; 16–8 with 216 strikeouts in 1966; and 16–10 with 181 strikeouts in 1968. Injuries cut his career short, costing him a chance to pitch for the “Big Red Machine” dynasty that began in 1970. He ruptured his Achilles tendon during the 1970 preseason and tried to pitch through it, but was ineffective, appearing in only seven games for the Reds without a win in three starts. On December 15, 1970, he was traded to the Angels for Greg Garrett. In 1971, he went winless in four starts and nine relief appearances, then retired.

Maloney finished with 134 wins, 84 losses, and a 3.19 ERA. He was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1973. As a hitter, he was better than average, batting .201 (126-for-628) with 7 home runs, 53 RBI, 51 runs, and 33 walks. Defensively, he was about average, with a .957 fielding percentage.

Maloney threw two no-hitters under the rules then in effect (no hits through nine innings) in 1965, the same year he won 20 games. His first came on June 14 against the New York Mets. The Monday night game went ten scoreless innings, with Maloney striking out 18 and walking one. But rookie right fielder Johnny Lewis led off the 11th with a home run, and Maloney lost 1–0. At the time, it was officially a no-hitter, but the rules were later changed to exclude no-hit games broken up in extra innings. Maloney had given up a second hit in the 11th; he already had three one-hitters to his name.

His second no-hitter (and first official one under current rules) came on August 19, also requiring ten innings, but he won 1–0 over the Chicago Cubs. In the first game of a Thursday doubleheader, Maloney outdueled Larry Jackson. The Reds won on a Leo Cárdenas home run with one out in the top of the tenth that hit the left field foul pole. It was only the third no-hitter since 1901 where the pitcher went more than nine innings. Maloney walked ten and hit a batter, the most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter since 1901, while throwing 187 pitches and striking out 12. The win earned him another thousand-dollar raise.

His second currently official no-hitter came on April 30, 1969, when he beat the Houston Astros 10–0 at Crosley Field, caught by 21-year-old Johnny Bench. He struck out 13 and walked five. The next night, Don Wilson of the Astros threw his second career no-hitter in a 4–0 win. Back-to-back no-hitters had only happened once before in major league history, when Gaylord Perry and Ray Washburn did so in September.

Maloney and his wife Lyn live in Fresno, where he served as director of the city’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council. He has three children from his first marriage to Carolyn.