[10] On defense, Bench was a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner who skillfully handled pitching staffs and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.

[12] Born and raised in Oklahoma, Bench is one-eighth Choctaw; he played baseball and basketball and was class valedictorian at Binger-Oney High School in Binger.

Maloney nevertheless insisted on repeatedly "shaking off" his younger catcher by throwing fastballs instead of the breaking balls that Bench had called for.

[19][20][21] In 1968, the 20-year-old Bench impressed many in his first full season;[22] he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs.

[26] During the Vietnam War, Bench served in the United States Army Reserve as a member of the 478th Engineer Battalion, which was based across the Ohio River from Cincinnati at Fort Thomas, Kentucky.

[43] In 1973, Bench hit 25 home runs and 104 RBI and helped the Reds rally from a 101⁄2-game deficit to the Los Angeles Dodgers in early July to lead the majors with 99 wins and claim another NL West Division crown.

The Mets boasted three of the better starting pitchers in the NL, future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Jon Matlack.

[1][47][48] Cincinnati swept the Pirates in three games to win the NLCS, and defeated the Boston Red Sox in a memorable seven-game World Series.

[1][55][56] At the post-World Series press conference, Reds manager Sparky Anderson was asked by a journalist to compare Munson with his catcher.

"[57] Bench bounced back in 1977 to hit 31 home runs and 109 RBI but the Dodgers won two straight NL pennants.

[58] For the last three seasons of his career, Bench moved out from behind the plate, catching only 13 games, while primarily becoming a corner infielder (first or third base).

The Cincinnati Reds proclaimed Saturday, September 17, 1983, "Johnny Bench Night" at Riverfront Stadium, in which he hit his 389th and final home run, a line drive to left in the third inning, before a record crowd.

[62] In his career, Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves, was named to the National League All-Star team 14 times, and won two Most Valuable Player Awards.

Once hailed as "baseball's most-eligible bachelor," he shed that distinction before the 1975 season when he married Vickie Chesser, a toothpaste model who had dated Joe Namath.

[69][70] Quickly, the pair realized they were incompatible, especially after Bench suggested that his wife accept Hustler magazine's offer for her to pose nude for $25,000.

After returning to Manhattan, Chesser said, "Johnny Bench is a great athlete, a mediocre everything else, and a true tragedy as a person.

[76] While still an active MLB player, he made a cameo appearance as a Kings Island Inn poolside waiter in "I Left My Heart in Cincinnati," a Season 3 episode of The Partridge Family which first aired on January 26, 1973.

[77] Bench was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1989 alongside Carl Yastrzemski.

"[82] In 1985, Bench starred as Joe Boyd/Joe Hardy in a Cincinnati stage production of the musical Damn Yankees, which also included Gwen Verdon and Gary Sandy.

A cast of boys and girls from the Tucson, Arizona, area would learn the game of baseball from Bench and other current and retired greats.

The Chicken provided comic relief and former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda appeared as "The Dugout Wizard."

In 1986, Bench and Don Drysdale did the backup contests for ABC's Sunday afternoon baseball telecasts (Al Michaels and Jim Palmer were the primary commentating crew).

Bench took a week off in June (with Steve Busby filling in), and also worked one game with Michaels as the networks switched the announcer pairings.

Bench simply disappeared, ultimately going to CBS Radio to help Brent Musburger call that year's National League Championship Series.

Bench would later serve as color commentator CBS Radio's World Series coverage alongside Jack Buck and later Vin Scully from 1989–1993.

[91] In 2008, Bench co-wrote the book Catch Every Ball: How to Handle Life's Pitches with Paul Daugherty, published by Orange Frazer Press.

Bench was interviewed by Heidi Watney of the New England Sports Network during a September 2008 Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

[96] He was also the Hall of Fame recipient of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2018, for his service and continued support of the United States Military.