Johnny Bench: The Greatest Catcher in Baseball History

Johnny Bench is considered the greatest catcher in baseball history. 14x All-Star, World Series Champion and MVP in 1976, with 10 consecutive Gold Gloves.

“A catcher and his body are like the outlaw and his horse, He’s got to ride that nag till it drops”

If there is one thing that stands out with these great historic players, it is their relentless work ethic and their complete disregard for a life of comfort. Their absolute commitment and loyalty to their team is unparalleled compared with today. Johnny Bench played 17 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds and only the Cincinnati Reds.

Johnny Bench religiously wore a cup throughout his career. He stated he never wanted to increase the chances of not playing due to an injury that was avoidable.

He broke 7 cups in his career, all of them cracking on impact. Yet he never missed a game because of it.

He never liked metal cups as it sounded like a driver (golf), Ping! It didn’t sound right coming from your nuts.

Johnny Bench ended up having 10 concussions in his playing career with countless other injuries.

Thankfully his jewels were always protected!