Former MLB first baseman and outfielder Todd Benzinger passed away yesterday. No cause has been given. He was only 63.
Born in Dayton, Kentucky and raised in New Richmond, Ohio, Benzinger was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB Draft.
Benzinger would make his MLB debut with the Red Sox during the 1987 season, the year after the team came within a strike of winning the World Series. The following season, Benzinger would make his mark on the team as part of the Morgan Magic that would rise to win the AL East under Joe Morgan (who passed away last month at the age of 95).
On July 20, 1988, Benzinger would hit an extra inning walk-off 3-run HR off Keith Atherton to give the Red Sox a 9-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins. That would extend the Red Sox win streak to 7 games under Morgan en route to winning 19 of 20 games. Benzinger would finish his first full big-league season with a .254 batting average with 13 HR and 70 RBI in 120 games played.
That December, the Bosox sent Benzinger to the Cincinnati Reds in multiplayer deal in exchange for Nick Esasky. The trade represented a homecoming for Benzinger. In 1989, amid the turmoil of the gambling scandal involving then Reds manager Pete Rose, Benzinger had his finest season. Playing in 161 out of 162 games, Benzinger led the NL with 628 at bats for a .245 batting average with 17 HR and 76 RBI.
In 1990, Benzinger's offensive production dipped to 5 HR and 46 RBI in 118 games played. But under the leadership of new manager Lou Piniella, the Reds would lead the NL West the entire way, upset the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS and sweep the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series. Benzinger caught the final out off a pop up by Carney Lansford in the Oakland Coliseum's cavernous foul territory.
By the middle of the 1991 season, the Reds would ship Benzinger to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Carmelo Martinez, best remembered for being part of the 1984 NL champion San Diego Padres. After the 1991 season, the Royals would trade Benzinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Chris Gwynn, the younger brother of Tony Gwynn. Benzinger would spend the final three seasons of his big-league career as a bench player with the San Francisco Giants under Dusty Baker. After a brief stint with the New York Yankees Triple-AAA Columbus Clippers in 1995, Benzinger's professional baseball career came to a close.
In 9 MLB seasons, Benzinger played in 924 games collecting 733 hits for a lifetime batting average of .257 with 66 HR and 376 RBI.
After his playing career, Benzinger would coach girls' high school basketball and later manage the Dayton Dragons, the Single A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 and 2010. R.I.P.
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