Johnny Bench

[kairos12]

When he was a rookie catcher he went out and told his veteran pitcher his fastball didn't have it and he needed to throw breaking stuff. Being the veteran, he told the rookie catcher to mind his business and get back behind the plate.

When Bench got behind the plate he signaled for the curve. The pitcher, now quite angry, shook him off. Bench signaled again and the pitcher shook him off and went into his motion and fire a fastball.

Bench caught it.

With his barehand.

Probably ended the discussion.

[Doc Sportello]

1. True story

I've heard it in interviews from others and from Bench himself.

BTW, Bench contributed to a new photographic book intertwining the history of baseball and Route 66:

snip

Just as baseball is at the heart of America, so too is Route 66. This book is a photographic tribute to the national pastime along the artery that stretches from the shores of Lake Michigan, close to where the Cubs play, to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica, where baseball memories and players abound. Among the players who will guide readers on the journey will be baseball greats George Brett, Billy Hatcher, Alex Bregman, and Ryan Howard. Leading off will be Johnny Bench of Binger, Oklahoma, and cleaning up will be Jim Thome of Peoria, Illinois.

In Grassroots Baseball: Route 66, photographer Jean Fruth weaves more than 250 full-color images of the national pastime along the historic highway into a tapestry that reminds us of the heart and soul of America.

https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781683584506/grassroots-baseball/