Todd Benzinger, the first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds’ 1990 World Series championship team, died Wednesday at age 63.
He caught the final out of the World Series as Cincinnati completed a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics.
“Todd will be remembered with great affection and gratitude for his place in one of the most memorable chapters in Reds history,” the team posted Thursday on X. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, former teammates and all who knew and loved him.”
Benzinger batted .257 with 66 homers and 376 RBIs in 924 career games with the Boston Red Sox (1987-88), Reds (1989-91), Kansas City Royals (1991), Los Angeles Dodgers (1992) and San Francisco Giants (1993-95). He made 622 career appearances at first base and 192 in the outfield.
His best season at the plate was in 1989 with career highs in homers (17), RBIs (76), runs (79) and games (161) and a National League-leading 628 at-bats.
A native of Dayton, Ky., Benzinger was drafted in the fourth round by the Red Sox in 1981 out of New Richmond High School in Ohio.