Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher from 1967 to 1983, all with the Cincinnati Reds. Bench led the Reds team known as the Big Red Machine that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s, winning six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships.

A fourteen-time All-Star and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bench excelled on both offense and defense. He twice led the majors in home runs and three times in runs batted in, and was the first catcher to lead the league in home runs. He hit 45 home runs in 1970, which stood as the single-season record for catchers until Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021, and which remains the National League record. At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher. 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.