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On this day in 1966, Reds Hall of Famer Rube Bressler died in Mount Washington, OH. Bressler predominately played left field and first base for Cincinnati from 1917 through 1927. During that time, he slashed .311/.379/.416 (115 OPS+). I wrote about Bressler a little bit more a few weeks ago.
On this day in 1968, former Red Russ Springer was born in Alexandria, LA. Springer pitched 1.2 innings for Cincinnati in 2010.
On this day in 1972, Johnny Bench won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, his second in three seasons. Bench led the league in home runs and runs batted in with 40 and 125 respectively. The catcher from Oklahoma slashed .270/.379/.541 (156 wRC+) in 653 plate appearances as he led the Reds to NL pennant.
On this day in 1994, the Reds signed catcher Guillermo Garcia.
On this day in 2002, the Reds signed right-handed reliever Luis Pineda.