The Phillies lost one of their most recognizable former players Tuesday, with news that Bob Boone has died at 78.
Bret Boone, his oldest son and a former big leaguer himself, shared the news on Facebook early Tuesday morning, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. No cause of death was revealed.
Boone’s name is woven into Phillies history in a way few players can match. Drafted by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 1969 MLB Draft, he made his debut with the club on Sept. 10, 1972, and became the first player to have a father and son both reach the big leagues.
That family line kept going. Bret wasn’t the only son to make it, as Aaron Boone reached the majors in 1997. Bob Boone later coached Aaron with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 2000s, and Aaron is now a manager with the New York Yankees.
“I’m just so grateful that I had a dad that took us to work with him all the time,” Aaron Boone told MLB.com in 2023. “He played until my senior year in high school, and literally I was at the ballpark - my brothers and I, in unis, shagging [fly balls] and doing everything you could possibly imagine. It was a great way to grow up.”
Boone’s own route to the majors had a family echo of its own. His father, Ray, had been a catcher before moving to third base in the minors. Bob Boone followed a similar path, only in reverse: he began at third base and moved behind the plate.
That switch came at a time when the Phillies had Mike Schmidt and Don Money in the system, making catcher the clearest route upward. Boone, who also pitched at Stanford and graduated with a degree in psychology, took to the position quickly after being introduced to it in instructional league in 1970 with Class AA.
“When they first told me what they wanted to do, I was up in the air about it at the time,” Boone explained to the Delaware County Daily Times in spring training 1973.
“But I talked it over with my dad, and since he was once in the same position, we decided it could be a great opportunity … and it’s really worked out. In fact, I enjoy the game more from behind the plate than when I was playing third.”
The move paid off for everyone involved. Schmidt went on to become a Hall of Famer, and Boone built a long career of his own before moving into coaching.
He spent 10 seasons with Philadelphia, made three All-Star teams with the Phillies, and finished with a .259/.325/.370 line in 1,125 games and 4,152 plate appearances. Boone was a key part of the Phillies’ 1980 World Series championship, and over his career he was a four-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner.
After his time in Philadelphia, Boone played seven seasons with the California Angels and two with the Kansas City Royals. He retired after the 1990 season, then moved into managing, taking over the Royals in 1995 and posting a 181-206 record. He later managed the Reds beginning in 2001, going 190-238 there.
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