The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences
Contents
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 2
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 3
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 4
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 5
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 6
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 7
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 8
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 9
- The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 10
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences. These are the must have baseballs for any Johnny Bench fan or collector.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences
On September 24, 1972, Reds catcher and Future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench smacked 7 home runs in a game against the Atlanta Braves It was an amazing display of power hitting, and it’s a record that still stands today. Here are the 7 balls that Johnny Bench hit for home runs that day.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 2
In the second part of our series, we take a closer look at the seven baseballs that Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Bench hit for theMessage remains the same. Do not use a formal tone. Fences.
As we noted in the first part of this series, there is something special about a home run It’s the ultimate display of power and skill, and it’s a moment that every player dreams of. For Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Bench, those moments came seven times during his illustrious career.
In this article, we will take a closer look at each of thoseseven home runs exploring what made them so special. We’ll also hear from some of Bench’s teammates and opponents, who will share their memories of those historic swings.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we take a closer look at The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 3
In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the bases loaded and his team down by 3 runs, Cincinnati Reds’ catcher Johnny Bench came to the plate. He swung hard at the first pitch and hit a grand slam home run winning the game for his team.
In honor of that momentous occasion, we present to you the 7 baseballs that Johnny Bench swung for the fences.
1. The first baseball was from a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 13th, 1970. Bench hit a 2-run homerun off of Pirates’ pitcher Bob Moose in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game at 3-3. The Reds would go on to win the game in Extra Innings
2. The second baseball was from a game against the Montreal Expos on May 11th, 1972. With the score tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Bench came to bat and hit a walk-off homerun off of Expos’ pitcher Mike Torrez.
3. The third baseball was from a game against the New York Mets on September 16th, 1974. With his team down by 1 run in the bottom of the 9th inning, Bench hit a solo homerun off of Mets’ pitcher Jon Matlack to tie the game at 2-2. The Reds would go on to win in extra innings
4. The fourth baseball was from a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 8th, 1975. With his team trailing 4-2 in the bottom of then 8th inning, Bench hit a 2-run homerun off of Phillies’ pitcher Tug McGraw to tie the game at 4-4. The Reds would go on to win in Extra Innings once again.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 4
In the 1970s, Johnny Bench was one of the premier sluggers in baseball. A two-time National League MVP and 10-time Gold Glove winner, Bench helped lead the Cincinnati Reds to back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. And while Bench is best remembered for his defense, he could also swing a mean bat. In fact, during his storied career, Bench hit 389 Home Runs
Here are 7 baseballs that Johnny Bench crushed for the fences…
1) July 14, 1970 – Johnny Bench hits his first career home run off Chicago Cubs pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. The solo shot to left field gave the Reds a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning The Reds would go on to win the game 6-5.
2) September 3, 1974 – JohnnyBench hits his 100th career home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alan Foster. The two-run shot to right field gave the Reds a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Reds would go on to win the game 7-3.
3) June 17,1975 – Johnny Bench hits two home runs off San Francisco Giants pitcher Ed Halicki. The first was a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning and the second was a two-run shot to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Reds would go on to win the game 5-4.
4) September 16, 1975 – Johnny Bench hits his 200th career Home Run off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton. The solo shot to right field came in the top of the eighth inning and gave the Reds a 4-2 lead. The Reds would go on to win the game 4-2.
5) July 26, 1976 – Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run off New York Mets pitcher Jesse Orosco. The solo shot to right field came in the bottom of the ninth inning and gave the Reds a 5-4 lead. The Reds would go on to win the game 6-4.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 5
On August 23, 1972, Johnny Bench smacked his 40th home run of the season. The round-tripper also happened to be the 200th of his career. It was a momentous achievement for the young catcher, who was just 24 years old at the time.
That home run was hit off of Cleveland Indians pitcher Luis Tiant and it landed in the left field seats at Riverfront Stadium. The ball was retrieved by a fan named Joe Sacco, who later returned it to Bench in exchange for two autographed bats.
Here is a look at the seven baseballs that Johnny Bench hit for the fences during his illustrious career.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 6
The seventh and final baseball that legendary catcher Johnny Bench hit for a home run was on September 20, 1981, against the Chicago Cubs It was the only home run he would hit that season and it came in the bottom of the 9th inning with the Reds down 5-4. The ball landed on Waveland Avenue, just beyond the left field bleachers.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 7
In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the score tied at 3, and the bases loaded, Johnny Bench came to the plate. The crowd was on their feet, cheering for their home team The pitcher wound up and threw a fastball down the middle of the plate. JohnnyBench swung for the fences and hit a Grand Slam home run! The crowd went wild!
Johnny Bench is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. In his illustrious career, he won 10 Gold Glove Awards was named National League MVP twice, and won 2 World Series titles.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 8
In the final part of this series, we take a look at the 7 baseballs that Johnny Bench swung for the fences. As Bench’s career progressed, his home run hitting became more and more sporadic. By the time he retired, he had just 199 home runs Nevertheless, there were still a handful of home runs that Bench hit that were absolute bombs. Let’s take a look at the 7 longest home runs of Johnny Bench’s career.
#7 – 464 feet (1972)
This home run was hit off of Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro. It sailed over the head of Hank Aaron and landed in the parking lot beyond the outfield fence.
#6 – 467 feet (1972)
Again off of Braves pitcher Phil Niekro, this one was hit even farther than the previous one. It cleared the left field bleachers and landed on the sidewalk beyond them.
#5 – 470 feet (1969)
This massive home run was hit off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis It cleared the center field bleachers and landed on the street beyond them.
#4 – 471 feet (1972)
Once again, Johnny Bench took Phil Niekro deep for a moon shot home run This one cleared the right field bleachers and landed in the parking lot beyond them.
#3 – 472 feet (1972)
In what must have been a very long day at work for Phil Niekro, JohnnyBench took him deep again – this time for a homerun that cleared not only the bleachers in right field, but also two rows of houses beyond them!
#2 – 475 feet (1972)
Finally, we get to a non-Phil Niekro home run! This one was hit off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim McGlothlin. It sailed over not only the center field bleachers, but also all the way over to where there was an empty lot next to Riverfront Stadium. The ball landed in some bushes there, never to be seen again…until now!
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 9
On October 2, 1972, Johnny Bench hit his 40th home run of the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates becoming the first catcher in Major League Baseball history to reach that mark. The following season, Bench would go on to hit 45 home runs setting a new single-season record for home runs by a catcher which still stands today.
In total, Johnny Bench hit 389 home runs during his 17-year career with the Cincinnati Reds Of those 389 home runs we have catalogued and identified 7 specific baseballs that he hit for the fences. In this article, we will take a look at those 7 balls – where they were hit, how far they traveled, and what happened to them after they left the field of play.
The 7 Baseballs that Johnny Bench Swung for the Fences – Part 10
In the previous installment, we looked at the first six of the seven baseballs that Johnny Bench swung for the fences. Now, we’ll analyze the seventh and final ball.
On September 16th, 1971, Johnny Bench came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher PRESTON HENN. The score was tied at 3-3, and Bench was facing a full count. Henn’s pitch was a fastball down the middle of the plate, and Bench swung for the fences.
The ball sailed over the head of Pirate outfielder RICHIE ZISK and into the bleachers for a home run It was a walk-off homerun, and it gave the Reds a 4-3 victory.
This was one of the most important home runs of Johnny Bench’s career. It not only gave the Reds a win, but it also gave them momentum going into the playoffs. The home run was also significant because it showed that Bench could come through in clutch situations.