Johnny Bench at the plate in the 1972 World Series — Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati. The Big Red Machine was supposed to win this one. Instead it became Gene Tenace's Series — Oakland's backup catcher outslugged everyone in it with four home runs — and Bench's most replayed moment was a humiliation: in Game 5, Rollie Fingers faked an intentional walk and slipped strike three past him. The A's won in seven games, the first of their three straight titles, while Bench and the Reds waited until 1975 for theirs. Nobody who watched the '72 Series forgets who the greatest catcher alive was supposed to be — or who owned the week. ⚾ Bench — the greatest catcher of all time? 👇️