On This Day in Reds History: Three Legends Earn Hall of Fame Honors

On this day, January 9, three Cincinnati Reds icons were voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

On January 9, 1989, Johnny Bench was voted in on his first year of eligibility 36 years ago today. Bench was selected in the second round of the 1965 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds and made his Major League debut just two years later at the age of 19. Bench is regarded as one of the greatest catchers in the history of baseball and is the Reds’ all-time leader in RBIs with 1,376 and second in home runs with 389, which is also second all-time for home runs by a catcher, behind Mike Piazza. Bench won two World Series championships with the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s. He was an All-Star 14 times, won two MVPs, 10 Gold Gloves, a World Series MVP, won Rookie of the Year, and was on a Player of the Year award in 1970. The Reds retired his jersey on August 11, 1984. 

On January 9, 1990, Joe Morgan was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Morgan spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Houston Astros. He was an above-average hitter and made two All-Star game appearances. His career soared once he was traded to Cincinnati in November of 1972. In his eight seasons with the Reds, he was an All-Star every year, won two MVPs, and five Gold Gloves. He is the Reds' all-time record holder for stolen bases, with 406. He was also a key contributor to the 1975-76 World Series Championship teams, driving in the winning run in game seven in 1976. His number 8 was retired in 1998. He passed away at the age of 77 on October 11, 2020.

Barry Larkin was voted into the Hall of Fame on January 9, 2012, in his third year of eligibility. Larkin is a Cincinnati kid, born in Cincinnati, played baseball at Moeller High School, and played his entire Major League career in Cincinnati. In 1996, he became the first shortstop ever to hit 30 or more home runs with 30 or more stolen bases. For his career, he won an MVP, a World Series championship in 1990, nine Silver Slugger Awards, three Gold Gloves, a Roberto Clemente Award, and was a 12-time All-Star. He's ranked second in Reds history in hits with 2,340 hits and ranks in the top 10 in several categories. His number 11 was officially retired on August 10, 2012, and he is currently a color commentary analyst with the Reds.