Johnny Bench “Turn back the clock” 1990 Topps O-Pee-Chee

Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseballplayer. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from 1967 to 1983, with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench led the Reds team known as the Big Red Machine that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s, winning six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. A fourteen-time All-Star and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bench excelled on offense and defense, twice leading the majors in home runs and three times in runs batted in. At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher.^[1] He was also the first catcher to lead the league in home runs.^[2] He hit 45 home runs in 1970, the single-season record for catchers until Salvador Perez hit 48 in 2021; Bench still holds the National League record.^[3] His 389 home runs and 1,376 runs batted in are the most in Cincinnati Reds history.^{[4]On defense, Bench was a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner who skillfully handled pitching staffs and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.[5][6] He caught 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons.[1] In 1986, Bench was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 in his first year of eligibility. He was named to MLB's All-Time Team in 1997 and All-Century Team in 1999, and ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.[}