Jim Maloney
Encyclopedia
James William Maloney 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-hitter
s, won 10 or more games from 1963 to 1969, and struck out more than 200 batters for four consecutive seasons (1963–66).
Maloney's four best seasons were ones in which he won 16 or more games. In 1963, his won-lost record was 23-7, and he struck out 265 batters. Then, in 1965, Maloney 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. Unfortunately for Maloney and the Reds, in the rest of the 1960s, the National League was dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers
, who won the pennants in 1963, '65, and '66; and by the St. Louis Cardinals
, who won the pennants in 1964, '67, and '68.
But Maloney was overshadowed by eventual Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax
and Don Drysdale
of the Dodgers, Bob Gibson
of the Cardinals, Juan Marichal
and Gaylord Perry
of the San Francisco Giants
, Tom Seaver
of the Mets, Ferguson Jenkins
of the Cubs, and other prominent National League
contemporaries like Jim Bunning
. Arm injuries definitely shortened his career, thus robbing him of the chance to pitch for the "Big Red Machine" -- the fabled Cincinnati NL dynasty from 1970 though '76. Maloney was able to pitch in only seven games for the Reds, and he was winless in just three starts.
Maloney attended Fresno City College
and the University of California at Berkeley before signing on with the Cincinnati Reds. 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.
. This game lasted through 10 scoreless innings, including a combined 18 strikeouts, but Johnny Lewis
led off with a home run in the 11th inning. Hence, 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.
Maloney's first official no-hitter came on August 19, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs
, which he won 1-0. This was the first no-hitter in major league history where the pitcher who threw it went more than nine innings. His second one came on April 30, 1969, in which he beat the Houston Astros
10-0 at Crosley Field
in Cincinnati. On the very next day, Don Wilson of the Astros returned the favor to the Reds, pitching his second career no-hitter in a 4-0 Astro victory. 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.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1960–70) and California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
(1971). One of the hardest-throwing pitchers of his era, Maloney boasted a fastball
Fastball
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...
clocked at 99 miles per hour, threw 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, won 10 or more games from 1963 to 1969, and struck out more than 200 batters for four consecutive seasons (1963–66).
Maloney's four best seasons were ones in which he won 16 or more games. In 1963, his won-lost record was 23-7, and he struck out 265 batters. Then, in 1965, Maloney 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. Unfortunately for Maloney and the Reds, in the rest of the 1960s, the National League was dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, who won the pennants in 1963, '65, and '66; and by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, who won the pennants in 1964, '67, and '68.
But Maloney was overshadowed by eventual Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
and Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
of the Dodgers, Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
of the Cardinals, Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...
and Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
of the Mets, Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
of the Cubs, and other prominent National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
contemporaries like Jim Bunning
Jim Bunning
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
. Arm injuries definitely shortened his career, thus robbing him of the chance to pitch for the "Big Red Machine" -- the fabled Cincinnati NL dynasty from 1970 though '76. Maloney was able to pitch in only seven games for the Reds, and he was winless in just three starts.
Maloney attended Fresno City College
Fresno City College
Fresno City College is a community college in Fresno, California. Established in 1910, it was the first community college in California and the second in the nation...
and the University of California at Berkeley before signing on with the Cincinnati Reds. Over his career, he won 134 games (all with the Reds) and lost 84, with an 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...
of 3.19. In 1973, he was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
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 MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. This game lasted through 10 scoreless innings, including a combined 18 strikeouts, but Johnny Lewis
Johnny Lewis
Jonathan Kendrick "Johnny" Lewis , also credited as Johnny K. Lewis, is an American actor.-Life and career:Lewis began making television appearances while in his late teens with guest starring roles in American Dreams , Boston Public , and The Guardian , among others...
led off with a home run in the 11th inning. Hence, 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.
Maloney's first official no-hitter came on August 19, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, which he won 1-0. This was the first no-hitter in major league history where the pitcher who threw it went more than nine innings. His second one came on April 30, 1969, in which he beat the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
10-0 at Crosley Field
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
in Cincinnati. On the very next day, Don Wilson of the Astros returned the favor to the Reds, pitching his second career no-hitter in a 4-0 Astro victory. The double no-hitters in consecutives games was the second such occurrence in Major League history. Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
and Ray Washburn
Ray Washburn
Ray Clark Washburn is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Washburn, a right-hander, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from to and the Cincinnati Reds in ....
had accomplished the same feat in September 1968.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters