Bob Boone death, Digi Mart USA News: Bob Boone, who won four Gold Glove Awards in seven seasons as the California Angels’ catcher in the 1980s, died according to multiple reports. He was 78.
Former Philadelphia Phillies teammate Greg Luzinski and former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden, who hired Boone to manage in 2000, both posted on Twitter/X about Boone’s death late Monday.
In December 1981, the Angels acquired Boone in a trade with the Phillies. From 1982 to 1988, he played an integral role in the team’s longest sustained run of success to that point in franchise history, including three 90-win seasons and two American League Championship Series appearances.
Boone hit .368 in his 12 ALCS games, including two home runs, scored seven runs and drove in six. No player in Angels history has a higher career postseason batting average (minimum 25 at-bats).
In the regular season, Boone won Gold Glove Awards in 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1988. He made the AL All-Star team in 1983.
In 1983 and 1988, he was voted the Angels’ team MVP by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Boone’s 962 regular-season games at catcher still stand as the Angels’ career record.
A native of San Diego who played collegiately at Stanford University, Boone debuted with the Phillies in 1972 and helped the team win its first-ever World Series in 1980. He played his final game at age 42 for the Kansas City Royals in 1990.
After retiring with more than 2,200 games to his credit, Boone moved on to a managing career, first with the Royals (1995-97) and then the Reds (2001-03).
The Boones became the first three-generation family of big leaguers when Bret Boone made his debut in 1992. Ray Boone, a two-time All-Star, was Bob’s father, and Bret’s brother Aaron, the current New York Yankees manager, also played in the majors.
Bob was the most decorated of the baseball-playing Boones, his seven career Gold Glove Awards trailing only Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Bench and Yadier Molina in baseball history. His 2,225 defensive games at catcher are the third-most of all-time.
In addition to his work behind the plate, Boone’s most frequent role in Gene Mauch’s lineup found him laying down bunts. His 23 sacrifices in 1982 are the second-most in a single season in team history.
Boone joined the Washington Nationals’ front office in 2005 and in 2009 became the team’s assistant general manager and vice president for player development. He resigned the position in early September 2021, concluding a baseball career that spanned seven decades and touched the history of several franchises, perhaps none more than the Angels.
