Major League Baseball Mourns The Passing of Bob Boone
Major League Baseball mourns the passing of Bob Boone. Bob’s legacy spans 19 years in the major leagues; being drafted out of Stanford by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969. Boone played for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels and Kansas City Royals from 1972 to 1990. Spending his first 10 seasons with the Phillies, playing seven with the Angels and then two with the Kansas City Royals.
A native of San Diego, Boone made his big league debut with the Phillies on Sept. 10, 1972. His first hit came off Mets right-hander Jim McAndrew on Sept. 12 and his first career homer came nine days later off Cardinals right-hander Jim Bibby. He was also inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame in ’05.
Major League Baseball released the following statement regarding Boone’s passing,
“We are saddened by the passing of Bob Boone, part of one of baseball’s most historic families.
Along with his father Ray, and his sons Bret and Aaron, the Boones became the first family to field three generations of Major League players, all of them All-Stars.
Bob, a catcher who came up in 1972, played 19 Major League seasons with the Phillies, Angels, and Royals. When he retired after the 1990 season, he had caught 2,225 games, the most in MLB history at that time.
A four-time All-Star, Boone was an elite defender, winning 7 Gold Gloves. He won his last in 1989 at age 41 and remains the oldest position player to win a Gold Glove.
Boone’s leadership behind the plate helped his teams reach the Postseason seven times from 1976-86. In the 1980 World Series, he batted .412 with 4 RBIs to help the Phillies win their first championship in franchise history.
Boone later managed six seasons with the Royals and Reds before spending more than a decade as a front office executive with the Washington Nationals, a run that included their first World Series title in 2019.
He was 78.”
Major League Baseball Mourns The Passing of Bob Boone
On Tuesday morning, the MLBPA also expressed their thoughts on the passing of the great Bob Boone. The Players Association states,
“Bob Boone had an enduring impact on the field as a 19-year MLB veteran, a seven-time Gold Glove Award-winning catcher, a four-time All-Star and 1980 World Champion with the Philadelphia Phillies. He embraced a leadership role in the Players Association early in his career, and earned a reputation as a strong and principled voice in the advancement of player rights in the 1970s and ’80s.
Bob followed the example of his father, Ray, a World War II Navy veteran and 13-year big leaguer, and passed along baseball and life lessons to his sons Bret and Aaron during their professional tenures. The player community, past and present, owes him an enormous debt of gratitude for his commitment and dedication to the union and its mission.
As we honor Bob’s legacy and mourn his passing, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Sue, sons Aaron, Bret and Matt, his extended family, and his many fans and admirers throughout the game.”
Boone’s son, Bret also released a very brief, but heartfelt message about his father. Bret said, “My dad- He was my mentor, my coach, my rock. He taught me how to be a pro and more importantly, how to be a man. He was one of the highest integrity people I’ve ever known and I’m going to miss him dearly. Baseball lost a great one yesterday. R.I.P dad, I love you.”
**Want Even More Sports, News, Hot Takes, Stats as well as Athlete Celebrity Sighting Updates, Insights as well as Trends? Well, be sure to join all of us Sports Feens over on Youtube to get an additional sports fix; and also don’t forget to check out all of our new Podcast topics and episodes. Plus, get fast highlights and trivia daily by following us on TikTok. Just Click HERE**
Thoughts on Major League Baseball Mourns The Passing of Bob Boone? Well let’s connect then you Feen! We are always around on social media posting as well as chatting away. And we would love to hear some POV from you. Therefore, join the discussion and talk all things Sports Feen; athletics as well as breaking industry news related with us by dropping a comment or two. Get into our comment section on YT; or also hit us up on our TikTok page or tweet us @SportsFeen.
