Johnny Bench has been many things in his career: sportscaster, author, Bobble head. He's toured with Bob Hope, sang in front of sold-out audiences, and has logged thousands of hours offering motivational speeches nationwide. All of these by themselves or as a collective provide the backbone for one of the most interesting lives in modern American history. And yet, for Bench, these are but meager accomplishments: after all, being named to Major League Baseball's All Century Team is no easy feat. As a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1968 until his retirement in 1983, Bench was the best catcher of his era, and one of the best all-time. Here is Johnny Bench: Beyond The Glory™.
"I don't want to embarrass any other catcher by comparing him with Johnny Bench."
Sparky Anderson, Reds manager
Early Life
Johnny Lee Bench was born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 6 years to the date after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. His father was a rancher of modest means (and the son of a Cherokee), but he encouraged his son's early baseball proficiency. When Bench was 14, his father told him the fastest route to the Major Leagues was as a catcher. Bench heeded his father's advice, and in 1965 was drafted in the 2nd round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Bench quickly made his mark in the minor leagues: playing for Peninsula of the Carolina League, he belted 22 home runs in 98 games. When he was only 18.
The team retired his number that year.
The Major Leagues
In August 1967, Bench was called up to catch for the Reds. He struggled in the final months of the year, batting only .163. The buzz around Bench was still strong, though. During spring training in 1968, Hall of Famer Ted Williams signed a ball to Bench on which he wrote,
"To Johnny Bench, a Hall of Famer for sure."
Big words from a man who had played against the likes of Yogi Berra, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, and Elston Howard.
In 1968, Bench set the record for doubles by a catcher with 40. He caught 154 games, and was named National League Rookie Of The Year, and made his first of 13 consecutive trips to the All-Star Game. After another All-Star season in 1969, Bench had a phenomenal year in 1970, setting the all-time records for home runs (45) and RBIs (148) by a catcher and winning the MVP award. Although his team was swept in the World Series by the Baltimore Orioles, it would not be his last trip to the Fall Classic.
Contract issues led to Bench holding out for most of spring training in 1971, where he only batted .238. In 1972, Bench was back in full form, again leading the league in home runs and RBIs and again winning the MVP Award. And again, the Big Red Machine lost the World Series, this time in 7 games to the Charley Finley's Oakland Athletics.
While Bench's offensive statistics are some of the most dominating for catchers all-time (and among players all-time), he was very much renowned for his defensive prowess. Winner of 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, Bench was also noted for developing the one-handed catching style still used to day, and he is lauded as the first catcher to wear a protective helmet in a regulation game. He was considered the best catcher at throwing potential basestealers out of all time.
"I can throw out any man alive."
Johnny Bench
In 1975, Bench batted .283 with 28 home runs, and again led his Reds to the World Series, a World Series to remembered throughout the ages for Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning, Game 6 home run that won the game for the Boston Red Sox. The Reds came back in game 7, however, to win the Series, giving Bench his first title. The Reds won the Series again in 1976, although Bench had his worst season in professional baseball, batting only .234 and being plagued by ankle injuries.
Bench never again won a World Series, and despite attempts to move him out from the physically demanding catcher position, he played less than 200 games at any other position. Bench retired in 1983, the all-time home run and RBI leader for catchers (later surpassed by Carlton Fisk), and one of the greatest catchers to ever play the game.
Bench was elected to the Hall of Fame his first year of eligibility by 96% of the voting members.
After Baseball
Although Bench's playing days were over, his affiliation with baseball was far from it. Upon retiring, he appeared on PBS's Emmy Award-winning show The Baseball Bunch and hosted their special on Billy Sunday. He also sang 3 sold-out shows with the Cincinnati Pops. He also began doing radio broadcasts with CBS Radio, announcing their National League Game of the Week, as well as the All-Star Game, National League playoffs, and the World Series. He also does a weekly call-in show in Cincinnati to discuss the Reds and baseball in general.
Bench has also branched out in many ways. He hosts two shows on the Golf Channel, Mastering Golf and Golf in Paradise, and participates in many celebrity pro-ams throughout the United States each year. He has toured with Bob Hope and the USO to Desert Storm and Bosnia, and also gives motivational speeches throughout the world. He is a tireless supporter and spokesperson for many charities, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Kidney Foundation.
"If you want to be a catcher, watch Johnny Bench."
Pete Rose
Lifetime Statistics
YEAR TEAM G AB R H D T HR RBI SB CS BB K BA
1967 CIN NL 26 86 7 14 3 1 1 6 0 1 5 19 .163
1968 CIN NL 154 564 67 155 40 2 15 82 1 5 31 96 .275
1969 CIN NL 148 532 83 156 23 1 26 90 6 6 49 86 .293
1970 CIN NL 158 605 97 177 35 4 45 148 5 2 54 102 .293
1971 CIN NL 149 562 80 134 19 2 27 61 2 1 49 83 .238
1972 CIN NL 147 538 87 145 22 2 40 125 6 6 100 84 .270
1973 CIN NL 152 557 83 141 17 3 25 104 4 1 83 83 .253
1974 CIN NL 160 621 108 174 38 2 33 129 5 4 80 90 .280
1975 CIN NL 142 530 83 150 39 1 28 110 11 0 65 108 .283
1976 CIN NL 135 465 62 109 24 1 16 74 13 2 81 95 .234
1977 CIN NL 142 494 67 136 34 2 31 109 2 4 58 95 .275
1978 CIN NL 120 393 52 102 17 1 23 73 4 2 50 83 .260
1979 CIN NL 130 464 73 128 19 0 22 80 4 2 67 73 .276
1980 CIN NL 114 360 52 90 12 0 24 68 4 2 41 64 .250
1981 CIN NL 52 178 14 55 8 0 8 25 0 2 17 21 .309
1982 CIN NL 119 399 44 103 16 0 13 38 1 2 37 58 .258
1983 CIN NL 110 310 32 79 15 2 12 54 0 1 24 38 .255
CAREER 2158 7658 1091 2048 381 24 389 1376 68 43 891 1278 .267
* Bold denotes led league.
Sources:
- Baseball-Reference.com - http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/benchjo01.shtml
- BaseballLibrary.com - http://www.pubdim.net/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Bench_Johnny.stm
- JohnnyBench.com - http://www.johnnybench.com
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