Born and raised in Fresno, California, his parents were Earl and Marjorie (née Kickashear) Maloney, and he has a sister, Jeanne. His father Earl 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 built a reputation as one of the finest athletes in the history of Fresno High School. \n', '

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; he was signed by scout Bobby Mattick to the Cincinnati Reds in 1959 for a reported $100,000.\n', '

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 ⅔ of an inning early in the fifth and final game as the Reds fell to the New York Yankees. \n', '

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