| First Name | Johnny |
| Middle Name | Lee |
| Last Name | Bench |
| Full Name at Birth | Johnny Lee Bench |
| Other Names | Little General |
| Age | 64 |
| Date of Birth | December 7, 1947 |
| Birthplace | Oklahoma City, OK |
| Height | 6' 1" (185 cm) |
| Weight (lb) | 197 |
| Star Sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| High School | Anadarko (Binger, OK) |
| Occupation | Former Major League Baseball Player |
| Occupation Category | Baseball |
| Position | Catcher, Third Baseman, First Baseman |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| MLB Debut | 28 August 1967 |
| Last MLB Game | 29 September 1983 |
| Draft | Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 1965 amateur draft. |
| Hall of Fame | Inducted into the Hall of Fame by BBWAA as Player in 1989 (431/447 ballots). |
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Bench, a 14-time All-Star selection and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, was the best offensive and defensive catcher of the 1970s, and was a key member of The Big Red Machine, which won six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | CIN | 26 | 86 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0.163 | 0.207 | 0.256 |
| 1968 | CIN | 154 | 564 | 67 | 155 | 40 | 2 | 15 | 82 | 1 | 31 | 96 | 0.275 | 0.311 | 0.433 |
| 1969 | CIN | 148 | 532 | 83 | 156 | 23 | 1 | 26 | 90 | 6 | 49 | 86 | 0.293 | 0.353 | 0.487 |
| 1970 | CIN | 158 | 605 | 97 | 177 | 35 | 4 | 45 | 148 | 5 | 54 | 102 | 0.293 | 0.345 | 0.587 |
| 1971 | CIN | 149 | 562 | 80 | 134 | 19 | 2 | 27 | 61 | 2 | 49 | 83 | 0.238 | 0.299 | 0.423 |
| 1972 | CIN | 147 | 538 | 87 | 145 | 22 | 2 | 40 | 125 | 6 | 100 | 84 | 0.270 | 0.379 | 0.541 |
| 1973 | CIN | 152 | 557 | 83 | 141 | 17 | 3 | 25 | 104 | 4 | 83 | 83 | 0.253 | 0.345 | 0.429 |
| 1974 | CIN | 160 | 621 | 108 | 174 | 38 | 2 | 33 | 129 | 5 | 80 | 90 | 0.280 | 0.363 | 0.507 |
| 1975 | CIN | 142 | 530 | 83 | 150 | 39 | 1 | 28 | 110 | 11 | 65 | 108 | 0.283 | 0.359 | 0.519 |
| 1976 | CIN | 135 | 465 | 62 | 109 | 24 | 1 | 16 | 74 | 13 | 81 | 95 | 0.234 | 0.348 | 0.394 |
| 1977 | CIN | 142 | 494 | 67 | 136 | 34 | 2 | 31 | 109 | 2 | 58 | 95 | 0.275 | 0.348 | 0.540 |
| 1978 | CIN | 120 | 393 | 52 | 102 | 17 | 1 | 23 | 73 | 4 | 50 | 83 | 0.260 | 0.340 | 0.483 |
| 1979 | CIN | 130 | 464 | 73 | 128 | 19 | 0 | 22 | 80 | 4 | 67 | 73 | 0.276 | 0.364 | 0.459 |
| 1980 | CIN | 114 | 360 | 52 | 90 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 68 | 4 | 41 | 64 | 0.250 | 0.327 | 0.483 |
| 1981 | CIN | 52 | 178 | 14 | 55 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 17 | 21 | 0.309 | 0.369 | 0.489 |
| 1982 | CIN | 119 | 399 | 44 | 103 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 38 | 1 | 37 | 58 | 0.258 | 0.320 | 0.396 |
| 1983 | CIN | 110 | 310 | 32 | 79 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 0 | 24 | 38 | 0.255 | 0.308 | 0.432 |
| Year | Team | G | GS | Inn | PO | A | E | DP | Fld% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | CIN | 26 | 26 | 233 | 175 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0.995 |
| 1968 | CIN | 154 | 139 | 1301 | 942 | 102 | 9 | 10 | 0.991 |
| 1969 | CIN | 148 | 135 | 1249 | 793 | 76 | 7 | 10 | 0.992 |
| 1970 | CIN | 158 | 152 | 1364 | 855 | 78 | 15 | 19 | 0.984 |
| 1971 | CIN | 149 | 147 | 1300.2 | 734 | 67 | 10 | 16 | 0.988 |
| 1972 | CIN | 147 | 147 | 1338.2 | 791 | 63 | 10 | 10 | 0.988 |
| 1973 | CIN | 152 | 150 | 1329 | 755 | 63 | 6 | 10 | 0.993 |
| 1974 | CIN | 159 | 159 | 1409.1 | 794 | 123 | 9 | 18 | 0.990 |
| 1975 | CIN | 138 | 136 | 1193 | 646 | 52 | 8 | 11 | 0.989 |
| 1976 | CIN | 131 | 123 | 1100 | 655 | 60 | 4 | 11 | 0.994 |
| 1977 | CIN | 142 | 134 | 1143.2 | 735 | 69 | 12 | 13 | 0.985 |
| 1978 | CIN | 111 | 107 | 926.2 | 680 | 53 | 9 | 13 | 0.988 |
| 1979 | CIN | 128 | 125 | 1097.1 | 632 | 69 | 10 | 12 | 0.986 |
| 1980 | CIN | 105 | 98 | 847 | 505 | 39 | 5 | 7 | 0.991 |
| 1981 | CIN | 45 | 44 | 382 | 375 | 28 | 7 | 35 | 0.983 |
| 1982 | CIN | 113 | 108 | 905.1 | 108 | 159 | 19 | 17 | 0.934 |
| 1983 | CIN | 77 | 73 | 594 | 292 | 74 | 10 | 26 | 0.973 |
Selected Johnny Bench film and TV show credits: