In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, my collection is going to be the subject of this year-long series.
Shortly after starting my obsession in 1971, the goal was to have at least one Topps card from every year.
Although the 1952 set is considered to be the first released by Topps, the company issued two series that was a part of the game a year earlier.
What a difference a year makes. Unlike my 1971 story in the series about Ernie Banks and missing his career, Johnny Bench offers a different perspective. Bench was in his prime during my formative years.
The 1972 card of Bench was the first of his in my collection. He was one of my favorites as a child and being able to watch him in person was an amazing site, especially as he threw runners out at second base as they attempted to steal.
By this time, Bench had earned quite a reputation thanks to several accomplishments. He was the Minor League Player of the Year in 1967 and the following season he was the National League’s top rookie.
As the Reds reached the World Series in 1970, Bench was a three-time all-star and Gold Glove winner along with being the NL Most Valuable Player. That year, he led the league with 45 homers and 148 RBI.
However in 1971, the Reds fell to fourth place in the NL West and Bench’s numbers were also off at 27 Homers and 68 RBI.
Pulling this card out of a pack the next spring offered hope to this 9-year old Reds fan as the team hoped to rebound from what turned out to be its only losing season during the 1970s.
Bench and his teammates would win the NL pennant in 1972 with the slugging catcher earning his second MVP award. He blasted a league-leading 40 home runs, while knocking in 125 runs.
During 1972, Bench had a 12-game hitting streak from May 24 to June 2. He was 22-of-50 for a .440 batting average with nine homers and 20 RBI. A highlight during that stretch was a three-run homer in the 17th inning off Barry Lersch in a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
A few days after his streak ended, Bench had one of two four hit games on June 11 at Montreal. The other came at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 11.
On Aug. 14, Bench drove in five runs in a 12-2 win in Atlanta. He hit a two-run homer in the first, a RBI single in the sixth and finished with a double that scored two in the seventh.
The Moment of 1972
One of the most memorable moments of Bench’s career came in the 1972 NL Championship Series against the Pirates.
The Reds trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth in the fifth a deciding game of the series.
Bench led off with an opposite field blast to right that tied the affair. In a matter of minutes, the Reds went from losing the deciding contest to a victory and a ticket to the World Series when George Foster scored on the wild pitch by Bob Moose.
Not So Hall of Fame Moment
The Reds would fall in seven games to the Oakland A’s in the 1972 World Series.
Unfortunately for Bench, he would also fall victim to the A’s on a personal level.
It was in the eighth inning of game three in Oakland. The Reds were on top 1-0 and looking for more. Bobby Tolan had swiped second base and the Reds had runners on second and third with Bench at the plate with a 3-2 count.
Oakland manager Dick Williams went to visit Rollie Fingers on the mound. As Fingers prepared to pitch, Oakland catcher Gene Tenace stood and called for an intentional walk to load the bases.
The problem for Bench was that it turned out to be a hoax. Fingers fired a strike and Bench was out as he watched the pitch. The Reds were able to hang on a win the contest 1-0, but the A’s would ultimately win their first of three straight titles.
Walk-off Moment
During his 17-year career, Bench hit five walk-off homers. Although it didn’t count as a true walk-off homer, he hit his 389th and final blast into the sunset on Johnny Bench Night on Sept. 17, 1983.
A 14-time all-star and a 10-time Gold Glove winner, Bench was also the MVP of the 1976 World Series as the Reds won their second title in a row.
The Oklahoma native was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.