Cincinnati Reds Mourn the Passing of Todd Benzinger

Todd Benzinger will always be tied to one moment. The final out of the 1990 World Series. For Cincinnati Reds fans, that is the picture that never goes away, and it is the right one to hold onto.

Benzinger, who played first base for Cincinnati from 1989 to 1991, died on October 21. He was 63. The Reds confirmed his passing on Thursday. "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," the team wrote. No cause of death was announced.

He came to Cincinnati ahead of the 1989 season after being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1981 draft out of New Richmond High School in Ohio. He was born in Dayton, Kentucky, and he never really left the area. That connection to the community ended up defining the second half of his life as much as the playing career did.

In 1990, the Reds were special. They led the National League West from the first day of the season to the last, and then they went out and swept the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.

Nobody expected that. Oakland had won the title the year before and had one of the most talented rosters in baseball. The Reds beat them in four straight games anyway, and Benzinger was there for the final moment.

In Game 4 at Oakland Coliseum, he caught a foul pop-up off the bat of Carney Lansford to record the last out and seal the championship. Cincinnati’s first World Series title since 1976 was official, and Benzinger’s glove was the last thing it touched.

His career numbers across nine seasons were solid. He finished with 733 hits, 66 home runs and 376 RBIs in 924 games, batting .257 with a .687 OPS. His best season came in 1989, when he set career highs with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs.

He led the National League in at-bats that year with 628. After his time with the Reds, he played for the Royals, Dodgers and Giants before his final big league appearance in May 1995.

He stayed close to the game and close to Cincinnati long after his playing days ended. He managed the Reds’ Class A affiliate, the Dayton Dragons, in 2009 and 2010. 

A lot of players drift away from the game after it is over. Benzinger never did. He stayed connected, stayed involved and kept showing up for the people who remembered what he helped build in 1990.