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Induction Information
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1989, Player - 431 votes on 447 ballots - 96.42%

Born: December 7, 1947, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

ML Debut: 8/28/1967
Primary Position: Catcher
Bats: R   Throws: R   Primary Uniform #: 5

Played For: Cincinnati Reds (1967-1983)

Post-Season: 1970 World Series, 1972 World Series, 1975 World Series, 1976 World Series, 1970 NLCS, 1972 NLCS, 1973 NLCS, 1979 NLCS
Awards: All-Star (14): 1968-1980, 1983; National League MVP 1970, 1972; Rookie of the Year 1968; Gold Glove (10): 1968-1977; 1976 World Series MVP

Bio
As one of the most impressive defensive catchers, Johnny Bench was also considered to be an outstanding hitter. A durable catcher, noted for his excellent baseball intelligence, Bench won 10 Gold Glove awards, two Most Valuable Player awards, and the Rookie of the Year Award during his 17-year National League career. A skilled hitter, the 14-time All-Star selection belted 389 home runs and led the league in RBI three times as a leader of the “Big Red Machine” teams of the 1970s.

Quote
"Every time Bench throws, everybody in baseball drools."
   — Harry Dalton

Did You Know... that Johnny Bench was a pioneer of the one-handed style of catching prevalent today, and was the first backstop to wear a protective helmet while behind the plate?


Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG SLG
1967 CIN NL 26 86 7 14 3 1 1 6 5 19 0 .163 .256
1968 CIN NL 154 564 67 155 40 2 15 82 31 96 1 .275 .433
1969 CIN NL 148 532 83 156 23 1 26 90 49 86 6 .293 .487
1970 CIN NL 158 605 97 177 35 4 45 148 54 102 5 .293 .587
1971 CIN NL 149 562 80 134 19 2 27 61 49 83 2 .238 .423
1972 CIN NL 147 538 87 145 22 2 40 125 100 84 6 .270 .541
1973 CIN NL 152 557 83 141 17 3 25 104 83 83 4 .253 .429
1974 CIN NL 160 621 108 174 38 2 33 129 80 90 5 .280 .507
1975 CIN NL 142 530 83 150 39 1 28 110 65 108 11 .283 .519
1976 CIN NL 135 465 62 109 24 1 16 74 81 95 13 .234 .394
1977 CIN NL 142 494 67 136 34 2 31 109 58 95 2 .275 .540
1978 CIN NL 120 393 52 102 17 1 23 73 50 83 4 .260 .483
1979 CIN NL 130 464 73 128 19 0 22 80 67 73 4 .276 .459
1980 CIN NL 114 360 52 90 12 0 24 68 41 64 4 .250 .483
1981 CIN NL 52 178 14 55 8 0 8 25 17 21 0 .309 .489
1982 CIN NL 119 399 44 103 16 0 13 38 37 58 1 .258 .396
1983 CIN NL 110 310 32 79 15 2 12 54 24 38 0 .255 .432
      2158 7658 1091 2048 381 24 389 1376 891 1278 68 .267 .476
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG SLG