Todd Benzinger 1963 – 2026

Biography

Todd Benzinger was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder best remembered for catching the final out of the 1990 World Series. Born February 11, 1963, in Dayton, Kentucky, he grew up across the river in Ohio and starred at New Richmond High School before the Boston Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round in 1981. He reached the majors with Boston in 1987 and was traded to Cincinnati in the deal that sent Nick Esasky to the Red Sox.

With the Reds, Benzinger became an everyday player for the first time in 1989, setting career highs with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs and leading the National League with 628 at-bats. In 1990 he was the first baseman on the wire-to-wire Reds club that shocked baseball, and in Game 4 of the World Series he caught the final out — a foul pop-up — as Cincinnati completed its sweep of the Oakland Athletics for the championship. He later played for the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, finishing a nine-season career in 1995 with a .257 average, 66 home runs and 376 RBIs in 924 games.

Benzinger stayed close to the game and to Cincinnati after retiring: he managed the Class-A Dayton Dragons in 2009 and 2010, coached girls’ basketball at Loveland High School, and was a fixture at Redsfest, the Reds Caravan and Reds Hall of Fame events. Todd Benzinger died on October 21, 2026, at the age of 63. The Reds, who announced his death the following day, gave no cause. Burial details have not yet been announced.