BENCH, JOHNNY (LEE)

born Dec. 7, 1947, Oklahoma City, Okla., U.S. American professional baseball player who, in 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, established himself as one of the game's finest catchers. Bench was signed to a contract with the Reds in 1965 and played with its minor league teams until he came up to the Reds late in the 1967 season. From 1968 he was the team's regular catcher, though in the early 1980s he caught less and finally switched to playing third base. Bench led the league in runs batted in (1970, 1972, 1974) and in home runs (1970, 1972). Together with Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, he helped lead the Reds to four World Series (1970, 1972, 1975, and 1976). His greatest performance was in the 1976 series, in which he batted .533. At his retirement in 1983, Bench held the record for the most home runs by a catcher, 324. He subsequently conducted a television sports interview show in Cincinnati.