Johnny Bench sends ‘autographed’ tweet to Cincinnati officer

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Johnny Bench knows a few things about catching.

The baseball Hall-of-Famer and Cincinnati Reds legend is regarded as the greatest catcher in the history of Major League Baseball.

When Bench says you’ve made a great catch, you’ve made a great catch. That was his message to the Cincinnati police officer who used a Taser to subdue a Reds fan, William Hendon, 19, of Cleves, who ran onto the field during Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

“Great catch, Cincinnati’s Finest!,” Bench autographed on a photo before posting it on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening.

Hendon was wearing a Johnny Bench Reds jersey when he was arrested. The Cleves native ran from the third base side of the stadium to chat with a Guardians outfielder.

As officers closed in, he demonstrated an impressive backflip, but he couldn’t outrun the Taser that brought him down and allowed him to be handcuffed.

Hamilton County Municipal Cout Judge William Mallory complimented Hendon on his backflip as he appeared in court Wednesday morning, still wearing his Bench jersey. Mallory said he may have received his 15 minutes of fame but he’s now banned from Great American Ball Park.

Hendon pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the incident and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on July 3.

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