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.

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.

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.

[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.

[21] Maloney and his wife Lyn reside in Fresno, where he served as director of the city's Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council.