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James William Maloney
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: June 2, 1940, Fresno, CA
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent, April 1, 1959
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1960-70; California Angels 1971
World Series Appearances: Cincinnati Reds 1961
All but one season of Jim Maloney's 12-year major league career was spent pitching for the Reds, where he was a 20-game winner twice and the owner of two no-hitters thrown in 1965 and 1969. After three unspectacular seasons as a swingman on the Reds' pitching staff, Maloney joined the starting rotation for good in 1963, going 23-7 with a 2.77 ERA in 250 1/3 innings pitched and striking out a career-high 265. It was the first of four consecutive seasons (and five overall) in which he'd cross the 200 innings pitched threshold. Maloney came down to earth somewhat in 1964, winning only 15 games, but then he enjoyed another 20-win season in 1965 while being named to the National League All-Star team. On June 14, 1965 against the Mets, Maloney threw ten hitless inning but allowed a home run to Johnny Lewis to lead off the 11th. The Reds lost the game, 1-0.
He was credited with an actual no-hitter on August 19, 1965 against the Cubs, which also went ten innings. Maloney gave up ten walks and hit a batter in the game, throwing 187 total pitches. His second no-hitter came on April 30, 1969 against the Astros, with the Astros' Don Wilson (#202) no-hitting the Reds on the following night. A ruptured Achilles tendon shortened Maloney's career, and he'd pitch briefly for the Angels in 1971 in his final big league action. Maloney earned a lifetime record of 134-84 with a 3.19 ERA in 302 games pitched, accumulating 1,605 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1973.
All but one season of Jim Maloney's 12-year major league career was spent pitching for the Reds, where he was a 20-game winner twice and the owner of two no-hitters thrown in 1965 and 1969. After three unspectacular seasons as a swingman on the Reds' pitching staff, Maloney joined the starting rotation for good in 1963, going 23-7 with a 2.77 ERA in 250 1/3 innings pitched and striking out a career-high 265. It was the first of four consecutive seasons (and five overall) in which he'd cross the 200 innings pitched threshold. Maloney came down to earth somewhat in 1964, winning only 15 games, but then he enjoyed another 20-win season in 1965 while being named to the National League All-Star team. On June 14, 1965 against the Mets, Maloney threw ten hitless inning but allowed a home run to Johnny Lewis to lead off the 11th. The Reds lost the game, 1-0.
He was credited with an actual no-hitter on August 19, 1965 against the Cubs, which also went ten innings. Maloney gave up ten walks and hit a batter in the game, throwing 187 total pitches. His second no-hitter came on April 30, 1969 against the Astros, with the Astros' Don Wilson (#202) no-hitting the Reds on the following night. A ruptured Achilles tendon shortened Maloney's career, and he'd pitch briefly for the Angels in 1971 in his final big league action. Maloney earned a lifetime record of 134-84 with a 3.19 ERA in 302 games pitched, accumulating 1,605 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1973.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #339
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
1969 Season
Maloney was 12-5 overall with a 2.77 ERA in 30 games, including 27 starts. This would be his final season as a mainstay in the Reds' starting pitching rotation as injuries would finally get the better of him. His SABR biography notes Mahoney pulled a groin muscle running out a double in the eighth inning of his in-progress no-hitter on April 30th. He returned to the mound, and with catcher Johnny Bench (#95) behind the plate, Maloney retired Joe Morgan (#35), Jesus Alou (#22) and Doug Rader (#119) to finish the no-hitter.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1961 Topps #436
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1961, 1963-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2001 Topps Archives #130
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 102 in the Beckett online database as of 7/7/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders. I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500. This card was the 47th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me a little over $1.
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
This card uses the same photo as the one featured on Maloney's 1968 Topps card, and it looks as if both photos were taken within seconds of the photos used on his 1966 and 1967 Topps cards. Collectors must have had a sense of déjà vu for four years in a row with Maloney's baseball cards. His 10-inning no-hitter thrown against the Cubs in 1965 is referenced by the cartoon on the back. There's no mention of the Cubs, but the bear getting struck out looking gives collectors a clue to the opponent.
Accuracy Index: Maloney's card scores a +1 - the photo is fine (+5), but collectors had seen it before (-4).
1969 Season
Maloney was 12-5 overall with a 2.77 ERA in 30 games, including 27 starts. This would be his final season as a mainstay in the Reds' starting pitching rotation as injuries would finally get the better of him. His SABR biography notes Mahoney pulled a groin muscle running out a double in the eighth inning of his in-progress no-hitter on April 30th. He returned to the mound, and with catcher Johnny Bench (#95) behind the plate, Maloney retired Joe Morgan (#35), Jesus Alou (#22) and Doug Rader (#119) to finish the no-hitter.
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First Mainstream Card: 1961 Topps #436
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11): 1961, 1963-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2001 Topps Archives #130
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 102 in the Beckett online database as of 7/7/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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