Before he would be honored, National League Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame catcher, Johnny Bench wore this sensational Cincinnati Reds home white pinstripe jersey during Spring Training in Florida. This looks to be the exact jersey he is wearing on his 1969 Topps Baseball card! Button down vest style flannel is adorned with the classic Reds team stitching on the front, his number “53” on the right breast in red on blue tackle twill and the Cincinnati Reds logo on the right. Nice blue sharpie signature sits under the “53”. Back of the jersey is “53” with “Bench” below in red on navy tackle twill. Tagged “MacGregor size 44” in the collar. The letters for his name are newer than the vintage worn numbers and letters on the front and back. Upon close scrutiny of the jersey, it could be seen that the name, BENCH, had been removed from the back, most likely because the jersey was used for minor league play. The name was replaced later for display purposes. This was probably a jersey used during regular season play at an earlier time and was modified for later spring training. Originally purchased from Dick Dobbins. LOA. This could be the very jersey Bench wore for his 1969 Topps rookie card, as the picture for that card would have been taken during Spring Training, 1967. The jersey shows nice use and wear to the numbers and fabric, in top display condition.