Bob Boone, the steady, cerebral catcher who guided the pitching staff of the Philadelphia Phillies’ first World Series championship team in 1980, has died at the age of 78. The Phillies said Boone died Monday. His son Bret, a former major league second baseman, shared the news Tuesday morning, writing that “Baseball lost a great one.”
Boone spent 19 seasons in the big leagues, won seven Gold Glove Awards, made four All-Star teams, and retired as the game’s all-time leader in games caught. He was also the middle link in the first three-generation family in major league history, a lineage that runs from his father Ray to his sons Bret and Aaron.
A Baseball Childhood in the Boone Family
Robert Raymond Boone was born in San Diego on November 19, 1947. His father, Ray Boone, was in the middle of a 13-year major league career that began with Cleveland in 1948 and included two All-Star selections with the Detroit Tigers. Young Bob tagged along to the ballpark whenever he could. In 1959, while shagging fly balls in Kansas City after Ray joined the Athletics, he broke his thumb making a catch in front of the crowd.
Athletic talent ran throughout the family. His mother, Patsy, was a synchronized swimmer who performed with Esther Williams in the movies. His sister, Terry, was a champion swimmer, and his brother, Rod, played college baseball and reached Triple-A in the Astros and Royals organizations.
Stanford Star and Sixth-Round Pick
Boone went on to Stanford University, where he played third base, pitched, and earned All Pacific-8 honors. In 1969 he hit .311 and went 9-1 with a 1.27 ERA on the mound. He also earned a degree in psychology, with enough credits to begin medical school, and he weighed a career in medicine before choosing baseball.
The Phillies selected him in the sixth round of the June 1969 draft as a third baseman. Army commitments limited him to 20 games at Double-A Reading in 1970. That fall, the organization made the decision that shaped his career. With Don Money at third base in Philadelphia and a young Mike Schmidt on the way, the Phillies moved Boone behind the plate in the Florida Instructional League. It was a mirror image of his father’s path, as Ray had begun as a catcher before moving to the infield.
The conversion took quickly. Boone caught 133 games at Triple-A Eugene in 1972, hitting .308 with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs, and made his major league debut as a September call-up on September 10, 1972.
Anchoring the Phillies Behind the Plate
Boone made the Opening Day roster in 1973 and took over as the everyday catcher. He hit .261 with 10 homers and 61 RBI, led National League catchers in assists, and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He became a fixture on the Phillies teams that rose from also-ran to contender in the mid-1970s, winning three straight National League East titles from 1976 through 1978.
Boone was named to the All-Star team in 1976, 1978, and 1979. In 1978 he became the first Phillies catcher ever to win a Gold Glove, and he won it again in 1979. Never a feared hitter, he was prized for his game-calling, his work with a pitching staff led by Steve Carlton, and his durability.
The 1980 World Series and the Final Out
Boone’s signature moment came in October 1980. After the Phillies outlasted Houston in a dramatic five-game National League Championship Series, they faced the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Boone led the club with a .412 batting average in the series.
He was also at the center of the clinching ninth inning of Game 6 at Veterans Stadium. Frank White lifted a foul pop near the Phillies dugout. The ball bounced out of Boone’s mitt, and Pete Rose snatched it before it hit the ground in one of the most replayed moments in franchise history. Moments later, Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson, and Boone caught the final pitch of the first World Series championship in Phillies history.
Larry Bowa, the shortstop on that team, called Boone “the backbone of our team” in remembering his longtime teammate. Boone caught 1,095 games for the Phillies, second in franchise history only to Red Dooin’s 1,124. The club inducted him into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2005.
A Second Act With the Angels and Royals
After a difficult 1981 season, the Phillies sold Boone’s contract to the California Angels that December for a reported $250,000. Some observers believed his prominent role on the players’ side during the 1981 strike played a part in the move.
Boone was far from finished. He helped the Angels win American League West titles in 1982 and 1986, made the All-Star team in 1983, and caught Mike Witt’s perfect game on September 30, 1984. In the 1986 ALCS against Boston, he hit .455 with a home run. He added Gold Gloves in 1982 and from 1986 through 1988, becoming the first catcher to win the award in both leagues.
While still with the Angels, Boone passed Al Lopez to become the all-time leader in games caught. He signed with the Royals in 1989 and won his seventh Gold Glove at age 41, making him the oldest catcher to earn the honor. He finished his career in 1990 with 2,225 games behind the plate, a record that stood until Carlton Fisk passed him. Ivan Rodriguez later moved past both men. Boone retired with a .254 average, 1,838 hits, and 105 home runs.
Managing, Mentoring, and the Nationals Years
Boone stayed in the game long after his playing days ended. He managed Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, served as Cincinnati’s bench coach, and then managed the Royals from 1995 to 1997 and the Reds from 2001 to 2003, compiling a 371-444 record. He joined the Washington Nationals’ front office in 2005 and spent more than 15 years there, a stretch that included the franchise’s 2019 World Series title. He left the organization in 2021.
His influence reached well beyond the clubs he worked for. Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza said after Boone’s death that watching him catch for the great Phillies teams of the 1970s inspired him to take up the position.
Baseball’s First Three-Generation Family
Boone’s legacy is impossible to separate from his family. When his son Bret reached the majors with Seattle in 1992, the Boones became the first three-generation family in major league history. Bret went on to a 14-year career and three All-Star selections. Aaron played 12 seasons, hit one of the most famous home runs in Yankees history to win the 2003 ALCS, and has since become the Yankees’ manager. A third son, Matt, played in the minor leagues, and Bret’s son Jake played at Princeton and briefly in the minors before joining the New York Mets’ front office.
Boone is survived by his wife, Susan, along with their sons and their families. For Phillies fans, he will always be the man crouched behind the plate on the night in 1980 when a long wait finally ended.
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