Johnny Bench Career

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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 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

During a 1968 spring training game, Bench displayed an intensity that shocked veteran pitcher Jim Maloney. Maloney, whose fastball had slowed due to injuries, repeatedly shook off Bench's breaking ball calls by throwing fastballs instead. When an exasperated Bench bluntly stated, "Your fastball's not popping," Maloney responded with an epithet. To prove his point, Bench called for a fastball, and as soon as Maloney released it, Bench dropped his mitt and caught the pitch barehanded. This moment foreshadowed his fierce competitiveness. Later that season, on April 30, 1969, Bench was behind the plate when Maloney pitched a no-hitter against the Houston Astros. His rookie year in 1968 saw him win the National League Rookie of the Year Award with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs, marking the first time a catcher won the honor. He also secured his first Gold Glove that year, becoming the first rookie to do so, while making 102 assists—the most by a catcher in 23 years. In the 1976 World Series against the New York Yankees, Bench faced All-Star catcher Thurman Munson. Bench rose to the occasion with a .533 average and two home runs, earning him the Series MVP award as the Reds swept the series.

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. During the Bisons' 1967 season, he hit a grand slam against fellow future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, then playing for the Orioles' Triple-A farm team, the Rochester Red Wings. Bench was called up to the Reds in August 1967. He hit only .163, but impressed many people with his defense and strong throwing arm, among them Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Williams signed a baseball for him and predicted that the young catcher would be a 'Hall of Famer for sure!' 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. This marked the first time that the award had been won by a catcher. He also won the 1968 National League Gold Glove Award for catchers, the first time a rookie had won that award. He made 102 assists in 1968, which was the first time in 23 years that a catcher had more than 100 assists in a season. In 1970, Bench had his finest statistical season. At age 22, he became 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 as the Reds won the NL West Division. The Reds swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series. Bench had another strong year in 1972, winning the MVP Award for a second time. He once again led the majors in home runs (40) and RBI (125) to help propel the Reds to another NL West Division title and won the NL pennant in the deciding fifth game over the Pittsburgh Pirates. One of his more dramatic home runs was likely his ninth-inning, lead off, opposite field home run in that fifth NLCS game. The solo shot tied the game at three; the Reds won later in

Did You Know?

• Bench won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1968, but he was not the first catcher to do so; Earl Williams won it in 1971.
• Bench led the league in home runs, but he was not the first catcher to do so; Gabby Hartnett led the NL in home runs in 1925 and 1929 as a catcher.
• Bench's 45 home runs in 1970 were a single-season record for catchers until 2021.
• He was named World Series MVP in 1976.