Johnny Bench is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds. He spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. He is also a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was an integral part of his team’s six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. ESPN named him the most excellent catcher in baseball history.
Quick Facts
Celebrated Name: | Johnny Bench |
Real Name/Full Name: | Johnny Lee Bench |
Gender: | Male |
Age: | 74 years old |
Birth Date: | December 7, 1947 |
Birth Place: | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Nationality: | American |
Height: | 1.85 m |
Weight: | 94 kg |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Marital Status: | Divorced |
Wife/Spouse (Name): | Lauren Baiocchi (m. 2004–2017), Laura Cwikowski (m. 1987–1995), Vickie Chesser (m. 1975–1976) |
Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | Yes (Bobby Bench, Joshua Bench, Justin Bench) |
Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | N/A |
Is Johnny Bench Gay?: | No |
Profession: | Baseball Player |
Salary: | N/A |
Net Worth in 2024: | $6 Million |
Johnny Bench Biography
Johnny Bench was born on December 7, 1947, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in the town of Binger after his birth. His father was a semi-professional baseball player before becoming a truck driver. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. He has two brothers and one sister as siblings. He was a serious student who excelled in high school. He used to play baseball and basketball at the same time.
He was in a car accident in 1965. He returned from a baseball game when the team bus’s brakes suddenly failed. When the bus stopped on an incline, his feet were hanging out the back door, and two of his teammates were dead on the hill. That experience altered his life. His dream of playing baseball was about to come true when he was 17 years old. Various colleges offered him baseball scholarships before being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds organization.
Johnny Bench Age, Height, Weight
Johnny Bench was born on December 7, 1947, and is 74 years old as of 2024. His height is 1.85 meters, and his weight is 94 kilograms.
Career
At the age of 19, he made his Minor League debut in 1967. He had 70 assists in his first season. He was later called up to the big leagues and made his debut in August 1967. He caught 154 games in his first full season in the Major Leagues, establishing his defensive dominance. He came in third place on the team.
He joined Roy Campanella as the only backstops to win multiple MVP awards after leading the league in HRs, RBIs, and sacrifice flies over two seasons while also catching more than 100 games. The Cincinnati Reds won the National League Championship in both seasons (1970 and 1972). In 1975 and 1976, he helped his team win two World Series championships.
Johnny Bench Achievements and Awards
From 1968 to 1980, and again in 1983, he was a member of the All-Star team 14 times. He has won the World Series twice. In 1975 and 1976, his team won. In 1976, he was named World Series MVP. From 1968 to 1977, he was a ten-time Golden Glove Award winner. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
Johnny Bench’s Net Worth In 2024
Johnny Bench’s net worth is estimated to be $6 million as of February 2024. He has spent his entire life playing professional baseball and has thus reaped the majority of the benefits from the game. He has also had various sponsorship deals with major brands. Those brands have also paid him well, which has added to his fortune.
Baseball legend Johnny Bench is a well-known figure in the United States and is widely regarded as the Cincinnati Reds’ greatest player. He worked hard to achieve fame, and we can’t thank him enough for his contribution to sport and entertainment us.
Johnny Bench Wife, Marriage
Johnny Bench has four wives in his life. In 1975, just before the start of the season, he married his first wife, Vickie Chesser. She was a model for toothpaste. They realized they were incompatible soon after their marriage and divorced at the end of the season. Their union lasted 13 months. In December 1987, he married his second wife. Laura Cwikowski was a model as well as an aerobics instructor. They had a son named Bobby Binger Bench together.
They shared custody of their son after their divorce in 1995. In 1997, he married for the third time. He tied the knot with Elizabeth Benton. After discovering she was involved with numerous people, he filed for divorce in 2000. In 2004, he remarried. He married Lauren Baiocchi in his fourth marriage. At the time, she was 31 years old. Justin and Josh were their two sons. He divorced her when he realized she would not accompany him to Florida. He was granted custody of his sons.