Johnny Bench

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Lore & Background

A fourteen-time All-Star and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bench excelled on offense and defense, twice leading the majors in home runs and three times in runs batted in. At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher. He was also the first catcher to lead the league in home runs. He hit 45 home runs in 1970, the single-season record for catchers until Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021; Bench still holds the National League record. His 389 home runs and 1,376 runs batted in are the most in Cincinnati Reds history. On defense, Bench was a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner who skillfully handled pitching staffs and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm. He caught 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons. In 1986, Bench was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 in his first year of eligibility. He was named to MLB's All-Time Team in 1997 and All-Century Team in 1999, and ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.

In Their Own Story

In a 1968 spring training game, Bench faced veteran pitcher Jim Maloney, who insisted on throwing fastballs despite Bench calling for breaking balls. When an exasperated Bench told Maloney, "Your fastball's not popping," and Maloney responded with an epithet, Bench called for another fastball. As soon as Maloney released it, Bench dropped his mitt and caught the ball barehanded to prove the point. Later that year, Bench won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first catcher to do so, while also winning a Gold Glove. His 1972 season featured a dramatic ninth-inning, lead-off, opposite-field home run in the deciding fifth game of the NLCS against Pittsburgh; the shot tied the game at three, and the Reds won 4–3 on a wild pitch. In the 1976 World Series against the Yankees, Bench faced Thurman Munson. While Munson hit .529, Bench rose to the occasion with a .533 average and two home runs, helping the Reds sweep the series. Manager Sparky Anderson later stated he did not want to embarrass other catchers by comparing them to Bench.

Reader's Guide

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Bench is 1⁄8 Choctaw. He played baseball and basketball and was class valedictorian at Binger-Oney High School in Binger. He survived a bus crash that killed two of his baseball teammates in 1965. His father, a truck driver, told him that the fastest route to becoming a major leaguer was as a catcher. The Cincinnati Reds selected Bench as a 17-year-old in the second round, with the 36th overall selection of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft. In 1965, Bench played for the Tampa Tarpons and Reds' Florida Instructional League team. He played for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1966 and 1967. Bench was called up to the Reds in August 1967. In 1968, the 20-year-old Bench won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also won the 1968 National League Gold Glove Award for catchers, the first time a rookie had won that award. In 1970, Bench had his finest statistical season, becoming the youngest player to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He hit .293, led the majors with 45 home runs and a franchise-record 148 runs batted in. In 1972, he won the MVP Award for a second time, leading the majors in home runs (40) and RBI (125). After the 1972 season, Bench underwent surgery to remove a lesion from his lung; the lesion was benign. In 1975, the Reds defeated the Boston Red Sox in a memorable seven-game World Series. In 1976, Bench was named World Series MVP as the Reds swept the New York Yankees. For the last three seasons of his career, Bench moved out from behind the plate, catching only 13 games, while primarily becoming a corner infielder. The Reds proclaimed September 17, 1983, 'Johnny Bench Night' at Riverfront Stadium, in which he hit his 389th and final home run.

Did You Know?

• Bench survived a bus crash that killed two of his baseball teammates in 1965.
• He caught a fastball barehanded in a 1968 spring training game to prove to pitcher Jim Maloney that his fastball was no longer effective.
• During the Vietnam War, Bench served in the United States Army Reserve as a member of the 478th Engineer Battalion.
• In the winter of 1970–1971, Bench was part of Bob Hope's USO Tour of Vietnam.
• Bench's 45 home runs in 1970 was the single-season record for catchers until Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021.