From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Johnny Bench |
|
| Catcher |
|
Born: December 7, 1947 (1947-12-07) (age 60)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
| Batted: Right |
Threw: Right |
| MLB debut |
August 28, 1967
for the Cincinnati Reds |
| Final game |
September 29, 1983
for the Cincinnati Reds |
| Career statistics |
| Batting average |
.267 |
| Home runs |
389 |
| Runs batted in |
1,376 |
| Teams |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards |
- 14x All-Star selection (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983)
- 2x World Series champion (1975, 1976)
- 10x Gold Glove Award winner (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)
- 2x NL MVP (1970, 1972)
- 1968 NL Rookie of the Year
- 1976 World Series MVP
- 1976 Babe Ruth Award
- 1975 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
- 1981 Hutch Award
- Cincinnati Reds #5 retired
|
| Member of the National |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
| Elected |
1989 |
| Vote |
96.42% |
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is a former American baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Bench was a key member of the Reds' 1975 and 1976 World Series championship teams known as "The Big Red Machine."
[edit] Professional career
Bench was a standout baseball player for Binger High School, in the small Western Oklahoma town of Binger (formerly known as Hoss Spit Flats). His father advised him that the fastest route to the majors was being a catcher. He was drafted in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft and was called up in August, 1967 where he hit just .163, but impressed many with his defensive prowess and strong throwing arm. Among those he impressed during his first taste of big league ball was Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who signed a baseball for him: "A Hall of Famer for sure!"
In addition to being an outstanding fielder, Bench was also a great hitter. In 1970, his finest statistical season, Bench hit .293 with 45 home runs and 148 RBIs. He hit .267 with 389 home runs and 1,376 runs-batted-in during his 17-year Major League career, all spent with the Reds. His career home runs by a catcher record stood until surpassed by the former New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza.
He won the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs, and the honors and accomplishments only continued to pile up. In his career, Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves, was the 1970 and 1972 Most Valuable Player and was named to the National League All-Star team 12 times. He also won such awards as the Lou Gehrig Award (1975), the Babe Ruth Award (1976), and the Hutch Award (1981). His most dramatic home run was likely his ninth inning lead-off opposite field home run in the final game of the 1972 NLCS vs. Pittsburgh. The solo shot tied the game 3-3, allowing the Reds to win later in the inning on a wild pitch, 4-3. It was hailed after the game as "one of the great clutch home runs of all time."
Although baseball history is filled with many outstanding catchers, such as Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Gabby Hartnett and Mickey Cochrane, arguably, no player revolutionized the position like Johnny Bench. The catcher's equipment was traditionally called "the tools of ignorance" as many catchers lacked the fielding skills to play elsewhere. But Bench inspired many young ballplayers to become catchers. His use of the hinged catcher's mitt, thought to be a gimmick when he first used it after returning to action following a stint on the disabled list because of a thumb injury on his right hand, became standard equipment soon afterward. The new mitt replaced the traditional rigid trapper-style mitt and allowed Bench to tuck his throwing arm safely to the side.
One day when a pitcher insisted on throwing fastballs even though he didn't have much velocity, Bench caught one of the pitches with his bare hand, just to make the point.
He also tended to block breaking balls in the dirt by scooping them with one hand instead of the more common and fundamentally proper way: dropping to both knees and blocking the ball using the chest protector.
However, by 1978, the years behind the plate began taking their toll on Bench's knees, a common ailment for catchers, and for the last three years of his career, he played mostly third base or first base with the occasional start in the outfield while catching only 13 games. During one of his final games on September 17, 1983, proclaimed "Johnny Bench Night" at Riverfront Stadium, he hit his 389th and final home run.
[edit] Honors
Bench was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1989, appearing on 96% of the ballots — the third-highest ever at the time.
He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1989 and had his #5 retired.
In 1999, he ranked Number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking catcher, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Starting with the 2000 college baseball season, the best collegiate catcher annually receives the Johnny Bench Award.
[edit] Personal
Bench was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Bench grew up in Binger, Oklahoma and had a dream of being a pro baseball player.
In his post-playing career, Bench has broadcast games on television and radio and is an avid golfer. He has performed in several Champions Tour tournaments.
He is one of the few professional baseball players ever to be a professional bowler.[citation needed]
In 1985, Bench starred as Joe Boyd/Joe Hardy in a Cincinnati stage production of the musical Damn Yankees, which also included Gwen Verdon and Gary Sandy.
Bench does an impression of Harry Caray,[citation needed] and occasionally during the Hall of Fame Inductions leads the crowd in the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as Caray.
Bench has a son at St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati who is the 3rd string tight end on the football team. He tried out for the baseball team twice to follow in his father's footsteps, but was cut from the team both times.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
