The Cincinnati Reds are one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball history, and there have been no shortage of home run hitters since the club's inception back in 1882.
Some of the greatest sluggers in the history of of game have donned a Reds jersey over the years. Hall of Famers like Frank Robinson and Tony Perez racked up a a boatload of round-trippers during their time in the Queen City.
But neither Robinson nor Perez sit atop the Reds all-time home run list. So who does?
Who is the Reds all-time leader in home runs?
Johnny Bench holds the all-time record for the most home runs in Cincinnati Reds history with 389 long balls. In fact, Bench homered in his final game in front of the home crowd at Riverfront Stadium in 1983.
Bench's Reds career began in 1967 at the age of 19. A second-round pick of Cincinnati during the 1965 MLB Draft, Bench collected his first four-bagger on September 20, 1967 in his third at-bat against Atlanta Braves pitcher Jim Britton.
With his rookie status still intact the following season, Bench smacked 15 big flies in 1968 en route the NL Rookie of the Year Award and a trip to the All-Star Game.
In 1970, Bench led the league in home runs (45) for the first time in his career. The then-22-year-old won the NL MVP that year. Bench led the league in dingers (40) for a second time in 1972 and won his second MVP Award.
During his Cincinnati Reds career, Johnny Bench had 20 or more taters 11 times and clobbered double-digit home runs in 15 of his 17 major league seasons.
Until Kansas City Royals backstop Salvador Perez hit 48 homers in 2021, Bench's 45 long balls in a single season during 1970 stood as the high-water marks among catchers.