PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bob Boone, the catcher on the Philadelphia Phillies' first World Series championship team in 1980 who won seven Gold Gloves and was part of baseball's first three-generation family, has died. He was 78.
Boone's son, Bret, announced his father's death Tuesday on social media. The Phillies said in a statement Boone died Monday. No cause of death was announced.
“He was a man of great integrity. He was a great dad, husband, and patriarch. It was a privilege to call him my father. Baseball lost a great one today,” Bret Boone wrote.
Boone spent his first 10 seasons with the Phillies, played seven with the California Angels and two with the Kansas City Royals. He also managed the Royals and Cincinnati Reds.
“Bob was an incredible player, teammate and family man. He embodied everything we believe exemplary athletes should represent, both on and off the field,” the Phillies said in a statement. “We were proud to have him as part of the Phillies family during one of the most historic runs in team history. His impact on our organization, his teammates, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him will never be forgotten.”
Boone's father, Ray, played 13 seasons in the majors and was a two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers. Bob Boone's two sons both enjoyed long baseball careers. Aaron Boone played 13 seasons in the majors and played for the Reds when Bob managed the team. Aaron now manages the New York Yankees. Bret Boone was a three-time All-Star over a 14-year career spent largely with the Seattle Mariners. A third son played in the minor leagues. Bret's son, Jake Boone, works in the New York Mets' front office after playing at Princeton and briefly in the minors.
“His legacy is profound, and we can see the values he embodied carried forward by his son, Aaron, in his leadership of the Yankees,” the Yankees wrote in a statement.
Bob Boone was a sixth-round draft pick as a third baseman out of Stanford in 1969. He was converted to catcher in the minor leagues and caught 1,095 games with Philadelphia, second on the Phillies’ all-time list to Red Dooin (1,124). Boone caught 2,225 games overall in 19 big league seasons.
“We played in the minors together where he gave up third base so I could play it, only to become one of the best catchers in baseball history,” Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said. “Bob was a great father and husband. Our lives and careers were intertwined, we pursued our Christian faith together, worked out together, and became world champions together.”
He was the first Phillies catcher to win a Gold Glove (1978, 1979) and led the Phillies with a .412 batting average in their 1980 World Series win over the Kansas City Royals.
“Bob Boone was a quiet leader, both on and off the field,” said Larry Bowa, the shortstop on the 1980 team. “I had the privilege of playing alongside him for nearly my entire career, and without question, he was the backbone of our team.”
A native of San Diego, Boone made NL All-Star teams in 1976, 1978 and 1979. He set the record for career games caught by a catcher with 1,919 in Kansas City. He was 41 years old when he won his final Gold Glove with the Royals in 1989.
Ivan Rodriguez (2,427) and Carlton Fisk (2,226) have since passed Boone on the career games caught list.
“I grew up watching Bob with the great Phillies teams of the 70’s. His play and mastery of catching inspired me to want to play the position,” Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza posted on social media.
Boone caught the final out of the 1980 Game 6 clincher when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to win the World Series. Boone was involved in a more famous play earlier in that inning when he ran after Frank White's foul pop near the home dugout in Veterans Stadium. The ball bounced off Boone's mitt and straight into Pete Rose's glove for an out — a catch played on countless highlight reels through the decades in Philadelphia.
Boone was added to the Phillies' Wall of Fame in 2005.
Boone won four more Gold Gloves, made another All-Star team and twice led the Angels to the playoffs. He went 10 for 22 (.455) with a homer and two RBIs against Boston in the 1986 American League Championship Series.
“Our franchise leader in games caught, Boone’s leadership, exceptional defense and knowledge of the game made him an invaluable presence behind the plate and helped the Angels win two division titles,” the Angels said in a statement.
Boone went 371-444 overall as a manager, spending three seasons with the Royals and three with the Reds. He joined the Washington Nationals' front office in 2005.
Washington won the World Series in 2019, the first championship in franchise history. Boone resigned in 2021 rather than comply with the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
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Dan Gelston, The Associated Press