The Cincinnati Reds are mourning the lack of a hometown World Sequence champion.
Former Reds first baseman Todd Benzinger, who caught the ultimate out of Cincinnati’s historic 1990 World Sequence championship, has died on the age of 63.
The group introduced his passing on Thursday, October 22, remembering the previous participant for his contributions to some of the celebrated groups in franchise historical past.
For Cincinnati followers, Benzinger will perpetually be related to the second the Reds accomplished their gorgeous sweep of the Oakland Athletics.
However his connection to the town prolonged nicely past that unforgettable play.
Benzinger grew up within the Cincinnati space, attended New Richmond Excessive Faculty and finally returned to skilled baseball as a supervisor within the Reds’ minor league system.
His passing marks the lack of a participant who represented Cincinnati each on and off the sector.
Cincinnati Reds Announce Loss of life of 1990 World Sequence Champion
The Reds shared the information of Benzinger’s dying on Thursday, paying tribute to their former first baseman and increasing condolences to these near him.
Of their announcement, the group remembered Benzinger for his position in some of the memorable chapters of Reds historical past.
Benzinger was born on February 11, 1963, in Dayton, Kentucky, simply throughout the Ohio River from Cincinnati.
He attended New Richmond Excessive Faculty in Ohio earlier than being chosen by the Boston Crimson Sox within the fourth spherical of the 1981 MLB Draft.
He made his main league debut with Boston in 1987 and joined his hometown Reds forward of the 1989 season.
Benzinger rapidly turned a daily in Cincinnati’s lineup.
In 1989, he appeared in 161 video games, recording 154 hits, 17 residence runs and 76 RBIs.
1990 would show to be essentially the most memorable of his profession. Benzinger helped Cincinnati seize its first World Sequence Championship since 1976.
Todd Benzinger Caught Closing Out of Reds’ 1990 World Sequence Victory
The 1990 World Sequence stays some of the celebrated moments in Cincinnati sports activities historical past.
Regardless of coming into the collection towards an Oakland Athletics crew coming off three consecutive American League pennants, the Reds dominated the matchup.
Cincinnati gained the primary three video games and entered Recreation 4 in Oakland needing only one extra victory to safe the championship.
With the Reds main 2-1 within the ninth inning, Oakland’s Carney Lansford got here to the plate representing the Athletics’ last hope of extending the collection.
Lansford lifted a foul pop-up towards first base.
Benzinger tracked the ball and made the catch, formally finishing Cincinnati’s four-game sweep.
Benzinger will at all times reside on in Cincinnati historical past. He had sturdy connections to the realm and made a key impression on youth baseball within the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky space.
The 1990 title stays Cincinnati’s most up-to-date World Sequence championship.
For generations of Reds followers, that catch is among the defining photos of the franchise’s fashionable historical past.
The present iteration of the Cincinnati Reds has struggled to compete in recent times. They’re watching a former Crimson play within the World Sequence whereas they missed the postseason in 8 of the previous 10 seasons.
Whereas the Reds have clear questions going into the offseason, proper now all focus is on a hometown legend, a reminder of the greatness that the Cincinnati Reds can obtain.
Relaxation in peace, Todd Benzinger.
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