Bob Boone

Bob Boone, the durable and cerebral catcher who helped the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series, starred for the California Angels and later managed in the major leagues, has died at the age of 78. News of his death was shared on Monday, November 9, 2026, by former teammates and colleagues, including his Phillies teammate Greg Luzinski and former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden, and was reported that night by Sports Illustrated.

Robert Raymond Boone was born on November 19, 1947, in San Diego, California, the son of the two-time All-Star infielder Ray Boone. He played baseball at Stanford University, where he earned a degree in psychology, and the Phillies selected him in the sixth round of the 1969 draft. Originally a third baseman and pitcher, he was converted to catcher in the minor leagues and reached the majors in September 1972.

Boone became one of the finest defensive catchers of his era. He was a three-time National League All-Star with the Phillies and caught the club to its 1980 World Series championship. Traded to the Angels after the 1981 season, he anchored their teams through the 1980s, earning another All-Star selection in 1983 and hitting .368 across two American League Championship Series. He finished his playing days with the Kansas City Royals in 1990 at age 42. Over 19 seasons he won seven Gold Glove Awards and caught 2,225 games, a major league record at the time of his retirement.

After his playing career he turned to managing, leading the Royals from 1995 to 1997 and the Reds from 2001 to 2003. He later spent years in the Washington Nationals front office, serving as assistant general manager and vice president of player development, before stepping away in 2021 after a baseball life that spanned seven decades.

With his father and his sons Bret and Aaron, Boone was part of the first family to send three generations of players to the major leagues, and all four were named All-Stars. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and their three sons, Bret, Aaron and Matt. He will be remembered as a tireless craftsman behind the plate and a devoted baseball patriarch.

Photo: PistonsFan2223, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.