Benzinger vs. Fossas
Posted on 17. Aug, 2009 by Corey in All, Dayton Dragons Baseball, General Baseball.
Dragons Manager Todd Benzinger and Pitching Coach Tony Fossas are both in their first season of coaching professional baseball. Both had long and productive Major League careers, but took some time away from the game for various reasons.
The two were reunited in Sarasota, Florida for Spring Training to begin the 2009 baseball season. Along with hitting coach Tony Jaramillo, the three would be in charge of helping develop players and win games for the Cincinnati Reds Class-A affiliate here in Dayton.
“I was very excited when I found out I would be going to Dayton to work with Todd and Tony,” Fossas said. “I remember Todd as a great competitor who played the game hard and played it right. He never showed anyone up and wanted to win for his team.”
After coming up through the Boston Red Sox organization, Benzinger played nine seasons in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants. He had a very solid professional career, but is mostly known around Cincinnati as a member of the Reds 1990 World Championship team and the one who caught the final out off the bat of Carney Lansford as the Reds swept Oakland.
The journey for Fossas was a bit different, as he spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues before getting a call-up in 1988 to pitch five games for the Texas Rangers. After leaving Texas, Fossas would pitch in the big leagues for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees.
A few days ago, Ken Griffey Sr. was visiting Dayton, serving as a roving instructor for the Reds to help tutor some of the younger ball players on the Dragons club. While sitting in the coaches’ locker room at Fifth Third Field, Griffey and Fossas began to discuss and try to figure out if they have ever faced each other in the big leagues.
After some research on the computer, I concluded that the two never squared off for an at bat while in the big leagues. But what I did find was that Fossas once faced Benzinger.
On August 5, 1991, Fossas and the Red Sox were visiting Benzinger and the Kansas City Royals. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Fossas was called out of the bullpen to pitch with the Red Sox leading 3-2. A few batters later, Benzinger would step to the plate with no outs and George Brett on third base. The score was now tied and Benzinger was looking to put his team ahead.
Benzinger and Fossas battled, as Benzinger fouled off the first five pitches that he saw. He swung through the sixth one and struck out for the first out of the inning.
“I honestly don’t remember that game or that at bat,” Benzinger said. “But I do remember not liking to face guys like Fossas. Give me a hard thrower like Randy Johnson, not Fossas who has some good stuff.” Benzinger may have lost the battle against Fossas, but he won the war as his Royals team beat the Red Sox 5-3.
