Johnny Lee Bench is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 through 1983. Bench was the leader of the Reds team known as the Big Red Machine that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s, winning six division titles, four National League pennants and two World Series championships.

A fourteen-time All-Star and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bench excelled on offense as well as on defense, twice leading the National League in home runs and three times in runs batted in. At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher. He is also the only catcher in history to lead the league in home runs.