Todd Benzinger

Todd Benzinger
First baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1963-02-11) February 11, 1963
Dayton, Kentucky
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 21, 1987, for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
May 14, 1995, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average .257
Home runs 66
Runs batted in 376
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Todd Eric Benzinger (born February 11, 1963 in Dayton, Kentucky) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played a nine-year MLB career from 1987 to 1995. Benzinger is a graduate of New Richmond High School in New Richmond, Ohio.

Benzinger started his Major League career with the Boston Red Sox in 1987. He would later play for other teams such as the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Francisco Giants. Benzinger ended his professional playing career in 1995 after playing with the Columbus Clippers, then a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees.

He played the majority of his career at the first baseman position, although he did occasionally play the outfield.

As a member of the Red Sox, Benzinger is legendary for his clutch hitting during the Sox' 1988 "Morgan Magic" run, particularly his 10th inning walk-off HR on July 20, 1988. This has been called "The Benzinger Game" by some Red Sox enthusiasts.[1]

Benzinger ended Orel Hershiser's scoreless streak at 59 innings on an RBI hit in the first inning of Hershiser's first start of 1989.[2]

Benzinger was a member of the 1990 World Series winning Cincinnati Reds which saw Cincinnati sweep the much favored Oakland A's in four games. Benzinger caught the last out in the 9th inning of Game 4 to give the Reds a victory.

From 2006 to 2008, Benzinger coached the girls' basketball team at Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio.[3]

He managed the Dayton Dragons for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.[4]

References

  1. http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/2011/02/19/red-sox-memory-lane-the-benzinger-game/
  2. Simon, Mark. "Inside Hershiser's Scoreless Streak". espn.go.com. Sept. 30, 2013.
  3. Groeschen, Tom (2008-04-12). "Prep coaches leave void". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  4. McClelland, Sean (2006-10-16). "Benzinger no longer Dragons manager". Dayon Daily News. Cox Media Group. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
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