| Bob Boone | |
|---|---|
 Boone in 2023 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born: (1947-11-19)November 19, 1947 (age 78) San Diego, California, U.S. | |
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 atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American formercatcher andmanager inMajor League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-timeAll-Star.[1]
Born inSan Diego, California, he is the son of MLB playerRay Boone,[2][3] and he is the father of two major leaguers:Bret Boone andAaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers.
Boone was drafted by thePhiladelphia Phillies in the sixth round (126th overall) of the1969 amateur draft[1] after attendingStanford University where he was admitted to theZeta Psi fraternity. He was brought to the majors in late 1972. While Boone never had excellent hitting numbers, he was an excellent defensive catcher, committing only eight errors and allowing only three passed balls in the 1977 season. Boone made the National League All-Star team three times in a Phillies uniform and helped the team win the1980 World Series. In 1981, he batted .211/.279/.295.
In 2005, Boone was inducted into thePhiladelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.
In 1982, the Phillies decided to trade the veteran catcher to theCalifornia 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 the1981 Major League Baseball strike. Boone rebounded by throwing out 21 of the first 34 steal attempts and helping the Angels to the AL West title. In 1983, he made his fourth and final All-Star appearance.
On September 30, 1984, Boone caughtMike Witt's perfect game.[4]
As a free agent, Boone signed with theKansas City Royals, but a broken finger in 1990 led to his retirement at age 42 following his shortened season, in which he batted .239/.336/.265.
Boone was a career .254/.315/.346 hitter with 1,838 hits, 105home runs (HR) and 826runs batted in (RBI), in 2,264 games. He was selected an All-Star in 1976, 1978–79, and 1983. Boone was one of the top defensive catchers of his era, winning sevenGold Glove awards. He caught 2,225 games in a 19-year big league career, a record that lasted for three years untilCarlton Fisk passed him (the record currently is held byIván Rodríguez, with 2,427). Boone caught 117shutouts during his career, ranking him tied for 13th all-time in 2010 among major league catchers. He threw out Rickey Henderson 17 out of 33 attempted steels, the highest percentage by any catcher on record.[5]
In 1990, just after Boone retired as a player, a group trying to bring an MLB franchise toOrlando (called theOrlando SunRays) hired him to be its first manager.[6] The job was contingent on Orlando being awarded aNational League franchise to begin play in 1993; the NL instead choseMiami andDenver.
Boone returned to the Royals in 1995 as the team's manager 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 theCincinnati Reds, replacingJack McKeon. However, after another two and a half sub-.500 seasons, the Reds replaced Boone withRay Knight, on July 28, 2003.
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||
Bob and his family are descendants ofAmerican pioneerDaniel Boone.[7] Bob Boone and his wife, Susan Boone, have three sons. Two of his sons,Aaron Boone andBret Boone, are formerMajor League Baseball players. Aaron Boone is currently the manager of theNew York Yankees.[8] Bret's son Jake Boone is an infielder in theWashington Nationals minor league system.[9]
Bob Boone's extended family have been sportsmen. His mother, Patsy Boone, was a synchronized swimmer who swam withEsther Williams in the movies. His sister Terry Boone was a champion swimmer, and his brother Rod Boone[10] was a college baseball star who played Triple-A ball in the Astros and Royals organizations.[11]
Members of thePhiladelphia Phillies Wall of Fame | ||
|---|---|---|
| Inducted as Phillies |
|  |
| Inducted as Athletics | ||
