Editing Johnny Bench (section)

{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1947)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| image       = Johnny Bench Press Photo.jpg
| caption     = Bench {{c.|1972}}
| name        = Johnny Bench
| position    = [[Catcher]] 
| bats        = Right
| throws      = Right
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1947|12|7}}
| birth_place = [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
| debutdate   = August 28
| debutyear   = 1967
| debutteam   = Cincinnati Reds
|finalleague = MLB
| finaldate   = September 29
| finalyear   = 1983
| finalteam   = Cincinnati Reds
|statleague = MLB
| stat1label  = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value  = .267
| stat2label  = [[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
| stat2value  = 2,048
| stat3label  = [[Home run]]s
| stat3value  = 389
| stat4label  = [[Runs batted in]]
| stat4value  = 1,376
| teams       =
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1967}}–{{mlby|1983}})
| highlights  =
* 14× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1968]]–[[1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1980]], [[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1983]])
* 2× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1975}}, {{wsy|1976}})
* 2× [[NL MVP]] (1970, 1972)
* [[World Series MVP]] (1976)
* [[NL Rookie of the Year]] (1968)
* 10× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1968–1977)
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1970, 1972)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|NL RBI leader]] (1970, 1972, 1974)
* [[Cincinnati Reds#Retired numbers|Cincinnati Reds No. 5]] retired
* [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]]
* [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]]
* [[Major League Baseball All-Time Team]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
| hofdate     = [[1989 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1989]]
| hofvote     = 96.4% (first ballot)
}}

'''Johnny Lee Bench''' (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional [[baseball]] player. He played his entire [[Major League Baseball]] career, which lasted from {{Baseball year|1967}} to {{Baseball year|1983}}, with the [[Cincinnati Reds]], primarily as a [[catcher]].<ref name="Johnny Bench career statistics at Baseball Reference">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/benchjo01.shtml|title=Johnny Bench Statistics and History|work=Baseball Reference|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=January 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104102024/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/benchjo01.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=benchjo01|title=Johnny Bench Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=August 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805001951/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=benchjo01|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/Players/B/Johnny-Bench.shtml|title=Johnny Bench Baseball Statistics [1965–1983]|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220170944/http://thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Johnny-Bench.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Bench was the leader of the Reds team known as the [[Big Red Machine]] that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s, winning six division titles, four [[List of National League pennant winners|National League pennants]] and two [[World Series]] championships.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame/alumni/directory#b-content |title=Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com |work=Major League Baseball |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819092836/http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/hof/hof/directory.jsp?hof_id=111227#b-content |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070820095625/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/johnny-bench-hof.htm Johnny Bench] How Stuff Works.</ref><ref name="Johnny Bench at The Baseball Library">{{cite web|url=https://baseballbiography.com/johnny-bench-1947|title=Johnny Bench|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=December 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201211322/https://baseballbiography.com/johnny-bench-1947/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A fourteen-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bench excelled on offense as well as on defense, twice leading the National League in home runs and three times in runs batted in.<ref name="Johnny Bench at the Baseball Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bench-johnny |title=Johnny Bench at the Baseball Hall of Fame |publisher=Baseball Hall of Fame |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=May 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515025403/https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bench-johnny |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com"/> He was also the first catcher in history to lead the league in home runs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://redlegnation.com/2009/06/14/johnny-bench-and-the-triple-crown/|title=Johnny Bench and the Triple Crown|publisher=Red Leg Nation|date=June 14, 2009|access-date=May 28, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127084413/https://www.redlegnation.com/2009/06/14/johnny-bench-and-the-triple-crown/|url-status=live}}</ref> He hit 45 home runs in 1970, which was a single-season record for catchers until [[Salvador Perez]] hit 48 in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/most-home-runs-by-a-catcher/|title=Most home runs by a catcher in a season|publisher=Major League Baseball|date=September 29, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2022|archive-date=January 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101155609/https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/most-home-runs-by-a-catcher.html/|url-status=live}}</ref> His 389 home runs and 1,376 runs batted in remain the most in Cincinnati Reds history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/leaders_bat.shtml|title=Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Career Batting Leaders|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|accessdate=March 18, 2022|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128131126/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/leaders_bat.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

On defense, Bench was a ten-time [[Gold Glove Award]] winner who skillfully handled pitching staffs and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.<ref name="Johnny Bench at the Baseball Hall of Fame"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-best-fielders-of-the-1970s/|first=Jerry|last=Gregory|title=The Best Fielders of the 1970s|work=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=November 27, 2023|archive-date=November 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126180224/https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-best-fielders-of-the-1970s/|url-status=live}}</ref> He caught 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com"/> In 1986, Bench was inducted into the [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]].<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com"/> He was inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1989 in his first year of eligibility.<ref name="Johnny Bench at the Baseball Hall of Fame"/> [[ESPN]] has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Bench_Johnny.html|title=ESPN Classic – Baseball's greatest catcher|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=June 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609003205/http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Bench_Johnny.html|url-status=live}}</ref>