Todd Benzinger, who caught the last out of the Reds' 1990 World Series, dies at 63

Todd Benzinger, a first baseman on the Cincinnati Reds' 1990 World Series championship team, has died. He was 63. The Reds announced his death on Thursday and said he died Wednesday.

"Todd will be remembered with great affection and gratitude for his place in one of the most memorable chapters in Reds history," the club said in its statement.

The final out

Benzinger played for the Reds from 1989 to 1991. Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, pointed to the moment most fans in Cincinnati still picture.

"Todd will forever be remembered by Reds fans for catching the final out of the 1990 World Series, but those of us who had the privilege of knowing him will remember so much more," Walls said, per the AP. "We will miss his friendship, his kindness and his presence in our community."

That 1990 team swept the Oakland Athletics for the franchise's fifth World Series title, and it remains the last Reds club to win one.

His career

Benzinger debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1987 and spent nine seasons in the majors. Along with Boston and Cincinnati, he played for the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. His last big-league season was 1995.

He stayed in the game after he retired. Benzinger managed the Class-A Dayton Dragons in 2009 and 2010 and stayed active in youth baseball in New Richmond, Ohio, where he went to high school. The Reds said he was a regular at the Reds Caravan, Reds Fantasy Camp, the Reds Legends Remember program and Redsfest.

The Cincinnati Enquirer also reported his death on Thursday. Neither the club nor the AP report gave a cause of death.