Ranking the Catchers With a commanding presence behind the plate and a rocket arm, Johnny Bench was the best defensive catcher in history. But that wasn’t all. The powerful right-handed slugger won a pair of Most Valuable Player awards and led the Reds to six division titles, four pennants, and two championships. He hit…
Johnny Bench Positions: Catcher, Third Baseman and First BasemanBats: Right • Throws: Right6-1, 197lb (185cm, 89kg)Born: December 7, 1947, in Oklahoma City, OKDraft: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft from Binger HS (Binger, OK).High School: Binger HS (Binger, OK)Debut: August 28, 1967 (12,626th in major league history)vs. PHI 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SBLast Game:…
Buster Posey becomes the sixth catcher, joining Johnny Bench (1968), Earl Williams (1971), Benito Santiago (1987), Mike Piazza (1993), and Geovany Soto (2008) to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The 23 year-old Giants backstop, who started the season in Triple-A, batted .305 along with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs, playing in 108 games with the eventual World Champions.
On June 18, 2004 At Shea Stadium, Hall of Fame catchers Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, and Yogi Berra take part in a pregame ceremony to honor Mike Piazza for hitting the most home runs as a catcher in baseball history. The Mets’ backstop established the new mark, breaking Carlton Fisk’s record, with his…
Mets C Todd Hundley hits his 41st home run of the season to set a new major league mark for catchers. The Mets defeat Atlanta, 6 – 5, in 12 innings. Johnny Bench hit 45 in 1970, but only 38 while behind the plate. Hundley also owns the Mets home run record, previously held by Darryl Strawberry with 39.
In the team’s 4-2 victory over Texas at Arlington Stadium, Carlton Fisk breaks Johnny Bench’s record for home runs by a catcher when he hits his 328th, a deep shot to left field off Charlie Hough in the top of the second inning. The White Sox backstop, who hit 162 round-trippers while playing for the Red Sox, will end his 24-year Hall of Fame career with 376 homers, 351 as a catcher.
On July 23, 1989, the Hall of Fame continues its 50th-anniversary celebration with induction ceremonies in Cooperstown. Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Red Schoendienst, and Al Barlick make their induction speeches on the front steps of the Hall’s Library. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Other Resources & Links
1989 – The Veterans Committee elects Red Schoendienst and Al Barlick to the Hall of Fame. Schoendienst served as a second baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Barlick was a major league umpire for over 29 seasons.
Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Bench and Yastrzemski, who faced each other in the classic 1975 World Series, each spent their entire careers (40 years combined) with one club (Cincinnati and Boston, respectively). Bench set new standards for catchers both offensively (348 home runs) and defensively (10 straight Gold Gloves). Yastrzemski hit 452 home runs, collected 3,308 hits, and won the 1967 Triple Crown. Bench is named on 96.4% of the ballots, making Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron the only players to ever receive a higher percentage of the vote.
On September 17, 1983, At Riverfront Stadium, 53,790 faithful fans celebrate Johnny Bench Night. The future Hall of Fame catcher doesn’t disappoint the regular-season record crowd, responding with a two-run homer and a single, the homerun was his 389th, and final of his career, it came off Mike Madden in the 3rd inning…
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