Johnny Bench

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Johnny Bench was born on December 7, 1947, in Oklahoma and is 1/8 Choctaw. He was class valedictorian at Binger-Oney High School and survived a bus crash that killed two of his baseball teammates in 1965. The Cincinnati Reds selected Bench as a 17-year-old in the second round of the 1965 MLB draft. In 1968, at age 20, he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs, the first time a catcher had won that award. He also won the 1968 National League Gold Glove Award for catchers, the first time a rookie had won that award. During a 1968 spring training game, Bench caught right-hander Jim Maloney barehanded to prove his fastball was no longer effective. Bench was the Reds' catcher on April 30, 1969, when Maloney pitched a no hitter against the Houston Astros.

In Their Own Story

In 1970, at age 22, Bench 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 NLCS but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series. In 1972, Bench won the MVP Award for a second time, leading the majors in home runs (40) and RBI (125). One of his more dramatic home runs was a ninth-inning, lead off, opposite field home run in the deciding fifth NLCS game against the Pirates, tying the game at three; the Reds won later in the inning on a wild pitch, 4–3. After the 1972 season, Bench underwent surgery to remove a lesion from his lung that was benign, but he stated, 'They cut the ribs, they cut the bones, they cut the nerves, and so I never was the same player afterwards.' In 1976, Bench struggled with ailing shoulders but finished with an excellent postseason, hitting .533 with two home runs in the World Series sweep over the Yankees, and was named Series MVP.

Reader's Guide

Bench's career statistics include 2,048 hits for a .267 career batting average with 389 home runs and 1,376 RBI during his 17-year Major League career, all with the Reds. He retired as the career home run leader for catchers, a record which stood until surpassed by Carlton Fisk and the current record holder, Mike Piazza. He won 10 Gold Gloves, was named to the National League All-Star team 14 times, and won two Most Valuable Player awards. He led the National League three times in caught stealing percentage and ended his career with a .990 fielding percentage at catcher and an overall .987 fielding percentage. He caught 118 shutouts during his career. Bench also won the Lou Gehrig Award in 1975 for his philanthropic efforts. In 1986, Bench was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and 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.

Did You Know?

• Johnny Bench is 1/8 Choctaw and was class valedictorian at Binger-Oney High School in Oklahoma.
• He survived a bus crash in 1965 that killed two of his baseball teammates.
• During a 1968 spring training game, Bench caught Jim Maloney's fastball barehanded to prove it was no longer effective.
• In 1970, at age 22, Bench became the youngest player to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
• After the 1972 season, Bench underwent surgery to remove a lesion from his lung that was benign, but he said he was never the same player afterwards.