Bob Boone

Lore & Background

Born in San Diego, California, Boone is the son of MLB player Ray Boone and the father of two major leaguers: Bret Boone and Aaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers. Boone was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the 1969 amateur draft after attending Stanford University. He helped the Phillies win the 1980 World Series and was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 2005. He caught Mike Witt's perfect game on September 30, 1984.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Veterans Stadium crackled with tension during the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 in the 1980 World Series. Bob Boone crouched low behind home plate, his chest protector gleaming under the floodlights as he signaled a pitch to Steve Carlton. With two outs and the game on the line, Boone's focus was absolute, blocking every wild throw with instinctive precision before popping up to point at the mound, directing the next move that would seal another step toward Philadelphia's first championship in forty years.

Reader's Guide

Boone was a career .254/.315/.346 hitter with 1,838 hits, 105 home runs, and 826 RBIs in 2,264 games. He won seven Gold Glove awards and caught 2,225 games in a 19-year big league career. He made the National League All-Star team three times in a Phillies uniform and his fourth All-Star appearance came in 1983 with the Angels. He managed the Kansas City Royals from 1995 to 1997 and the Cincinnati Reds from 2001 to 2003.

Did You Know?

• Boone threw out Rickey Henderson 15 out of 26 attempted steals, the highest percentage by any catcher on record.
• He caught 117 shutouts during his career, ranking him tied for 13th all-time among major league catchers as of 2010.
• Boone's mother, Patsy Boone, was a synchronized swimmer who swam with Esther Williams in the movies.