Bob Boone, the seven-time Gold Glove catcher who helped the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series title in 1980, died Monday at age 78, according to multiple reports.
Boone’s cause of death has not been announced, and reports through Tuesday morning have not specified one. His son Bret Boone confirmed the loss on social media, and tributes from former teammates and baseball colleagues poured in within hours. Media reports appear to contain no significant mention of known health issues for Boone.
Born Nov. 19, 1947, in San Diego, Boone attended Stanford, and the Phillies drafted him as a third baseman in the sixth round in 1969. The club converted him into a catcher, and he debuted Sept. 10, 1972, then finished third in the 1973 National League Rookie of the Year voting. Over 19 seasons with the Phillies (1972-81), California Angels (1982-88) and Kansas City Royals (1989-90), he batted .254 with 1,838 hits and 105 home runs. His 2,225 games at catcher were topped by only two players in MLB history, and he made four All-Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves.
Boone later managed the Kansas City Royals (1995-97) and Cincinnati Reds (2001-03) to a combined 371-444 record. He then joined the Washington Nationals’ front office, where he worked until resigning in 2021 due to his unwillingness to comply with the franchise’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for non-playing employees, according to a Washington Post report. But Boone cited no health issue publicly at the time.
The Phillies inducted Boone into their Wall of Fame in 2005.
Boone was the son of Ray Boone, a two-time All-Star infielder who played from 1948 to 1960, and the father of Bret and Aaron Boone, both All-Stars. When Bret debuted in 1992, the Boones became the first MLB family with three generations of players. Aaron now manages the New York Yankees, and Bret’s son Jake has played in the Nationals’ farm system.
Bob Boone’s Role in the 1980 World Series
Boone was the Phillies’ starting catcher when they beat the Royals in six games to claim the 1980 World Series, the franchise’s first. He hit .412 with seven hits in 17 at-bats, including two doubles and four RBI. In the ninth inning of Game 6, a foul pop by Frank White bounced out of Boone’s mitt, and first baseman Pete Rose grabbed it for the second out. Boone was then behind the plate when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to end the series.
Boone also caught Mike Witt’s perfect game for the Angels on Sept. 30, 1984, against the Texas Rangers. Two years later, he hit .455 in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, going 10-for-22 with a home run. The Angels led the series 3-1, but Dave Henderson’s Game 5 home run set off a Boston comeback that ended with the Red Sox winning in seven. Boone’s 962 games caught remain an Angels franchise record.
Baseball Remembers Bob Boone After Death at 78
“Baseball lost a great one today,” Bret Boone wrote in a Facebook post about his father.
“My roommate has passed on,” Greg Luzinski, Boone’s teammate on the 1980 Phillies, wrote in a post on social media.
“He was a leader as a player, coach and manager,” former Reds GM Jim Bowden posted. Bowden hired Boone to manage in Cincinnati.
“What a marvelous man and privilege and honor to know,” USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale wrote on X, adding condolences to Boone’s wife, Sue, and sons Aaron and Bret.
“Tremendous catcher and baseball man but also so classy, such a good man,” former Phillies player and general manager Rubén Amaro Jr. wrote.
Boone is survived by his wife, Susan, and sons Aaron, Bret and Matthew.
Bob Boone Cause of Death: What We Know as Tributes Pour In for Aaron Boone’s Dad