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Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench is under fire for his anti-Semitic comments. The Cincinnati Reds extended an invitation to Bench, 75, to a pregame party Saturday in honor of Gabe Ball.
Paul was the team’s general manager in the 1950s and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame along with two other Reds legends. Paul, who died in 1998, was represented by Jenny Paul, his daughter.
He signed the team’s first black player during its tenure, and Jenny Paul linked his Jewish identity to his advocacy for other minorities. He has also built a strong roster.
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This prepared Bench for his remarks, which he made when Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time leading scorer, took the microphone. Paul, who died in 1998, signed him in high school in 1960 for $600 a month, Rose said, and Jenny Paul said, “That’s cheap — never mind.” Bench replied to this:
“He was a Jew.”
Johnny Bench, regarded as one of the best defensemen in major league history, upset the team’s Jewish fans with these off-the-record statements.
Johnny Bench career stats
Johnny Bench is a former American MLB player. He spent his entire MLB career (1967-1983) with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher.
Bench was captain of the Big Red Machine, a Reds club that won six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series victories in the mid-1970s.
Bench was a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner on defense with a strong throwing arm and an accurate, skilled handling of the pitching staff. 13 times in a row, he earned 100 or more games. He was accepted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1986.
In 1989, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and was also hailed as the best catcher in baseball by ESPN. 267 batting average, hit 389 home runs, and drove in 1,376 runs.
He retired with the most career catchers, a record surpassed by Carlton Fisk and Mike Piazza. However, with 10 grand slam home runs, Bench still holds the major league record for most hits.
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