The Cincinnati Reds are mourning the loss of one of the most recognizable names from their 1990 championship run. Todd Benzinger, the man who caught the final out of the World Series, has died this week.
Benzinger’s Reds legacy was built in a brief but memorable stretch in Cincinnati. He joined the club in 1989 after two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, who selected him in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB Draft. He stayed with the Reds through part of the 1991 season, and over those three years he hit .241/.287/.355 with 75 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases.
His name will always be tied to the 1990 World Series, and Benzinger had a sharp line about Oakland’s status as a dynasty before that series. As the Los Angeles Times reported, he said:
“If they are a dynasty and we beat them, what does that make us?” Benzinger told Bill Plaschke of the LA Times. “I guess that makes us whatever one step above a dynasty is.”
Cincinnati then swept the Athletics in four games to claim its fifth championship, a result that went down as one of the biggest upsets in Major League Baseball history.
Benzinger also brought unusual versatility to the field during his career. He played first base, center field, left field, right field, and even logged one game at third base.
The Reds released a statement on social media after his death, saying:
"The Cincinnati Reds are saddened by the passing of former first baseman and 1990 World Series champion Todd Benzinger. Todd will be remembered with great affection and gratitude for his place in one of the most memorable chapters in Reds history. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, former teammates and all who knew and loved him."
Born in Dayton, Kentucky, and a New Richmond High School alum in Ohio, Benzinger was later traded by Cincinnati to the Kansas City Royals in July of 1991 for outfielder Carmelo Martinez. He played in just 78 games for Kansas City, then appeared in 121 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992 before finishing his career with three seasons in San Francisco.
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