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Jim Maloney

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For people with the same name, see James Maloney.

Jim Maloney
Pitcher
Born: (1940-06-02) June 2, 1940 (age 84)
Fresno, California, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 27, 1960, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 21, 1971, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record134–84
Earned run average3.19
Strikeouts1,605
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James William Maloney (born June 2, 1940) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1960–1970) and California Angels (1971). One of the hardest-throwing pitchers of the 1960s, Maloney threw two no-hitters, won ten or more games from 1963 to 1969, and recorded over 200 strikeouts for four consecutive seasons.

Early years

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Born and raised in Fresno, California, his parents were Earl and Marjorie (née Kickashear) Maloney, and he has a sister, Jeanne. His 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, Maloney earned a reputation as one of the finest athletes in the history of Fresno High School.[1]

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. After briefly attending UC Berkeley, Maloney attended Fresno City College where he pitched for the baseball team at the urging of scourt Bobby Mattick; he eventually signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1959 for a reported $100,000.[1]

Career

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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. At age 21 in 1961, Maloney had one appearance in relief in the World Series, hurling 2⁄3 of an inning early in the fifth and final game as the Reds fell to the New York Yankees.[2][3]

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 ruptured a tendon in his toe in the 1970 preseason and tried to pitch through it, but was ineffective. He pitched in only seven games for the Reds and he was winless in three starts.[4] He was traded from the Reds to the Angels for Greg Garrett on December 15, 1970.[5] With the Angels in 1971, he was winless in four starts and made nine other appearances in relief.

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.[6] As a hitter, Maloney was better than average, posting a .201 batting average (126-for-628) with 51 runs, 7 home runs, 53 RBI and 33 bases on balls. Defensively, he was about average, recording a .957 fielding percentage.[3]

No-hitters

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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 was on June 14 against the New York Mets. This Monday night game lasted through ten scoreless innings, with Maloney striking out 18 with just one walk.[7][8] But rookie right fielder Johnny Lewis led off with a home run to center in the top of the 11th and Maloney lost the game 1–0.[9][10] 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. Maloney had given up a second hit in the 11th inning; at the time he had three one-hitters to his credit.[7]

His second no-hitter (and first official no-hitter under current rules), was two months later on August 19 and also required ten innings, but he won that one 1–0 over the Chicago Cubs. In the first game of a Thursday doubleheader, Maloney out-dueled Larry Jackson, with the Reds winning on a Leo Cárdenas home run with one out in the top of the tenth, which struck the left field foul pole. This was only the third no-hitter since 1901 in which the pitcher who threw it went more than nine innings.[11] Maloney gave up 10 walks and hit a batter, the most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter since 1901.[12] He threw 187 pitches in the game while striking out 12.[13][14] With the win, he got another raise of a thousand dollars.[15]

His second official no-hitter was on April 30, 1969, in which he beat the Houston Astros 10–0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, caught by 21-year-old Johnny Bench.[16] Maloney's pitching line that night included 13 strikeouts and five walks.[17][18] Incidentally, the next night Don Wilson of the Astros returned the favor to the Reds, pitching his second career no-hitter in a 4–0 Astros victory.[19][20] The double no-hitters in consecutive games was the second such occurrence in major league history. Gaylord Perry and Ray Washburn had accomplished the same feat several months earlier in September 1968.[21]

Personal

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Maloney and his wife Lyn reside in Fresno, where he served as director of the city's Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council. He has three children with his first wife Carolyn.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jim Maloney (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
  2. ^ Loomis, Tom (October 10, 1961). "'Best Yankee team I've seen' – Houk". Toledo Blade. p. 23.
  3. ^ a b "Jim Maloney Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ Traughber, Bill (April 30, 2012). "Looking Back: Jim Maloney Was A Nashville Vol". nashvillesounds.com: News. Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  5. ^ Durso, Joseph (December 17, 1970). "Orioles Obtain Jackson in Trade with Phillies". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Miller, Cam. "The Dominance Of Jim Maloney". blogredmachine.com. FanSided Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Maloney wins one-hitters, but no-hitter is a problem". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. June 15, 1965. p. 16.
  8. ^ Harrison, Harold (June 15, 1965). "Mets' John Lewis homers in 11th to break up Jim Maloney's no-hit bid". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. p. 37.
  9. ^ "Maloney's only regrets seeing 'L' in box". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. June 16, 1965. p. 1C.
  10. ^ "Mets 1, Reds 0". St. Petersburg Times. (box score). June 16, 1965. p. 2C.
  11. ^ "Player Pitching Game Finder: In the Regular Season, since 1901, Complete Game, requiring Innings Pitched >= 9.1 and Hits = 0, sorted by latest Date". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Player Pitching Game Finder: In the Regular Season, since 1901, Complete Game, requiring Innings Pitched >= 9 and BR >= 8 and Hits = 0, sorted by greatest BR". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cubs go hitless on 187 pitches". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. August 20, 1965. p. 24.
  14. ^ "Aug 19, 1965, Reds at Cubs Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. August 19, 1965.
  15. ^ "Maloney gets another $1G". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. August 20, 1965. p. 24.
  16. ^ "Third no-hitter spun by Maloney". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. May 1, 1969. p. 42.
  17. ^ "Reds' Jim Maloney pitches no-hitter". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. May 1, 1969. p. 1C.
  18. ^ "Apr 30, 1969, Astros at Reds Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 30, 1969.
  19. ^ "Angry Don Wilson fires no-hitter at Reds". Toledo Blade. associated Press. May 2, 1969. p. 29.
  20. ^ "May 1, 1969, Astros at Reds Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. May 1, 1969.
  21. ^ "Cards get their revenge; Washburn hurls no-hitter". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. September 19, 1968. p. 38.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by No-hitter pitcher
August 19, 1965
April 30, 1969 		Succeeded by
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