You know, when you can play with the greatest players of that particular era, you look forward to going to the ballpark. I mean, you thought it was great to be there in the clubhouse. You thought it was great to be on the field.

The years of catching had put severe stress on his natural hip joint and it had become severely arthritic and gave him constant pain. It was hailed after the game as "one of the great clutch home runs of all time. He retired at the end of the season.

Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7 1947 in Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.