Perce Leigh Malone was born in Altoona, PA, a son of Chris and Anna (Murphy) Malone. His interest and ability in baseball attracted the attention of Major League scouts early on. After serving in the Cavalry during World War I, he started his trek to the Major Leagues. He was a pitcher for his entire career. Listed at 6 ft 0 in, 200 lb., Malone batted left-handed and threw right-handed. In 1916, he pitched for the Millville Grays in Altoona. In 1917 and 1918, he was deployed with the Cavalry. In 1919 and 1920, Malone was with Altoona independent teams and worked his way into the minor leagues. In 1921, he was signed by the New York Giants, and was sent to Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1922, he played in Waterbury, Connecticut and Toledo, Ohio. Late in the 1922 season, he returned home to hurl Duncansville to a Blair Baseball League pennant. In 1923, he pitched again for Toledo and then went to Minneapolis, Minnesota for two years. He pitched in Des Moines, Iowa in 1926, and in 1928 went to the Chicago Cubs (1928 to 1934) and finished his career with the New York Yankees (1935 to 1937). Malone was outstanding in his first three Major League seasons. As a rookie, he compiled an 18–13 record for the third-place 1928 Chicago Cubs, striking out 155 opponents to finish second in the National League behind Dazzy Vance (200). As a sophomore, he led the NL pitchers with 22 wins, 166 strikeouts and six shutouts, helping the Cubs reach the 1929 World Series. Again in 1930, he led the league with 20 wins and finished in third place with 142 strikeouts, being surpassed only by Bill Hallahan (177) and Vance (173). He also tied Erv Brame for the lead in complete games, with 22. The next four years he averaged 14 wins and 104 strikeouts. Before the 1935 season he was part of consecutive transactions between the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. Moved to the bullpen by the Yankees, he collected 18 saves during three seasons, including an American League leading nine saves in 1936. In a 10-season career, Malone posted a 134–92 record with 1024 strikeouts and a 3.74 ERA in 357 appearances, including 220 starts, 115 complete games, 15 shutouts, 26 saves, and 1915.0 innings pitched. A good-hitting pitcher, Malone recorded a .188 batting average (129-for-688) with nine home runs and 61 RBI. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is one of two pitchers in modern era to hit at least one home run in his first five Major League seasons (1928 to 1932). The other is Dontrelle Willis (2003 to 2007). Malone was one of the few Major League players to take part in the World Series in both the American and National Leagues.