It was April 16, 1970.
The Reds had a new manager in Sparky Anderson. They had some exciting young players in Don Gullett, Wayne Simpson, Bernie Carbo and Hal McRae. They also guys by the names of Rose, Bench, Perez, May and Helms.
And on Anderson’s pitching staff was veteran Jim Maloney.
Jim Maloney was the Reds best pitcher during the decade of the 1960s. That includes some pretty good names – Bob Purkey, Joey Jay and Jim O’Toole. Maloney was a right handed power pitcher with a rising fastball, a sharp curve and a durable arm.