Bob Boone

Bob Boone
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1947-11-19) November 19, 1947 San Diego, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 10, 1972, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1990, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.254
Home runs	105
Runs batted in	826
Managerial record	371–444
Winning %	.455
Stats at Baseball Reference
Managerial record at Baseball Reference
Teams
As player Philadelphia Phillies (1972–1981) California Angels (1982–1988) Kansas City Royals (1989–1990) As manager Kansas City Royals (1995–1997) Cincinnati Reds (2001–2003)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (1976, 1978, 1979, 1983) World Series champion (1980) 7× Gold Glove Award (1978, 1979, 1982, 1986–1989) Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame

Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and former utility infielder Aaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers.

Baseball career

Playing

Philadelphia Phillies

Bob Boone was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the 1969 amateur draft after attending Stanford University, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He was brought to the majors in late 1972, and, while he never had excellent hitting numbers, he was a phenomenal defensive catcher, committing only eight errors and allowing only three passed balls in the 1977 season. He made the National League All-Star team three times in a Phillies uniform, and helped the team win the 1980 World Series.

California Angels

In 1982, the Phillies decided to trade the veteran catcher to the California Angels, following an unproductive year from Boone, and also as a possible retaliation for Boone's key role in leading the players in negotiations during the 1981 Major League Baseball strike. But Boone rebounded by throwing out 21 of the first 34 steal attempts and helping the Angels to the AL West title, and followed in 1983 with his fourth and final All-Star appearance.

On September 30, 1984, Boone caught Mike Witt's perfect game.

Boone stayed with the Angels for seven seasons and was let go in 1988.

Kansas City Royals

As a free agent, he signed with the Kansas City Royals, but a broken finger in 1990 led to his retirement at age 42 following his shortened season.

Boone was a career .254 hitter with 105 home runs and 826 RBI in 2,264 games. He was selected an All-Star in 1976, 1978–79, and 1983. He was one of the top defensive catchers of his era, winning seven Gold Glove awards. Boone caught 2,225 games in a 19-year Major League career, a record which was later broken by Carlton Fisk (2,226). He caught 117 shutouts during his career, ranking him 14th all-time among major league catchers.

Managing

He returned to the Royals in 1995 as the manager of the team, but was let go during the 1997 season after a third straight sub-.500 season. In 2001, he was hired to be the skipper of the Cincinnati Reds, replacing Jack McKeon. However, after another two and a half sub-.500 seasons, the Reds fired Bob Boone on July 28, 2003. In 2005, Boone was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.

Managerial records

Team	Year	Regular Season				Post Season
		Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
KC	1995	70	74	.486	2nd in AL Central	–	–	–	–
KC	1996	75	86	.466	5th in AL Central	–	–	–	–
KC	1997	36	46	.439	5th in AL Central	–	–	–	(fired)
CIN	2001	66	96	.407	5th in NL Central	–	–	–	–
CIN	2002	78	84	.481	3rd in NL Central	–	–	–	–
CIN	2003	46	58	.442	5th in NL Central	–	–	–	(fired)
Total		371	444	.455

Front Office

He currently serves as Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development for the Washington Nationals.

Family

Besides his baseball family, Bob and his family are descendants of American pioneer Daniel Boone.. Bob Boone and his wife, Susan Boone, have 3 sons. Two of his sons, Aaron Boone and Bret Boone, are former Major League Baseball players.

Bob Boone's extended family are considered sportsmen. His mother, Patsy Boone, was a synchronized swimmer who swam with Esther Williams in the movies. His sister Terry Boone was a champion swimmer, and his brother Rod Boone was a college baseball star who played Triple-A ball in the Astros and Royals organizations.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders
• Third-generation Major League Baseball families

Further reading

• Peter Gammons (September 1985). "Bob Boone: He Helps Keep Pitchers Within Strike Zone". Baseball Digest. pp. 69–73.
• Howie Newman (January 1987). "Bob Boone: The Majors' Most Durable Catcher". Baseball Digest. pp. 61–64.
• Bob Boone (November 1988). "The Game I'll Never Forget". Baseball Digest. pp. 55–57.

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs