Bob Boone, the catcher who won the 1980 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies and was part of baseball's first three-generation family, died Monday at 78.

His son Bret Boone announced the death Tuesday on social media, and the Phillies confirmed Boone died Monday. No cause of death was announced.

"He was my mentor, my coach, my rock. He taught me how to be a pro and more importantly, how to be a man," Bret Boone wrote on X. "Baseball lost a great one yesterday."

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❤️

— Bret Boone (@theboone29) November 10, 2026

A switch to catcher

Born Robert Raymond Boone on Nov. 19, 1947, in San Diego, he was the son of Ray and Patsy Boone. Ray Boone spent 13 major league seasons with six teams from 1948-60 and made two All-Star teams with the Detroit Tigers.

Bob Boone earned seven Gold Gloves and caught 2,225 games, placing him third all-time behind Hall of Famers Iván Rodríguez and Carlton Fisk. His father had played in the majors, and two of his sons went on to do the same.

The Phillies selected Boone as a Stanford third baseman in the sixth round of the 1969 draft. Following Philadelphia's selection of future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Boone began moving to catcher in 1971 at Double-A Reading.

"We played in the minors together where he gave up third base so I could play it, only to become one of the best catchers in baseball history," Schmidt said.

Boone made his Philadelphia debut in 1972, then took over as starting catcher and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1973. He earned All-Star selections in 1976, 1978 and 1979, and became the Phillies' first Gold Glove-winning catcher in 1978 and 1979.

Against Kansas City in the 1980 World Series, Boone led Philadelphia in batting average, going 7 for 17 without striking out.

The Game 6 clincher included a play that ran on Philadelphia highlight reels for decades. In the final inning at Veterans Stadium, Frank White hit a foul pop near the home dugout that bounced from Boone's mitt into Pete Rose's glove for an out. Boone caught the final out when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson.

Angels, Royals and life after playing

The Phillies sold Boone's contract to the California Angels after he struggled in 1981. With the Angels, he reached his fourth All-Star team and caught Mike Witt's perfect game in 1984.

Boone collected four Gold Gloves with the Angels, more than any catcher in team history. He went 10 for 22 against Boston in the 1986 American League Championship Series, though the Angels lost the series in seven games.

Boone joined the Royals in 1989 and won a fourth consecutive Gold Glove that year at 41. While in Kansas City, he set the career record with 1,919 games caught, a total Rodríguez and Fisk later surpassed.

He retired after the 1990 season at 42, having hit .254 with 105 home runs.

As a manager, Boone went 371-444 overall with the Royals from 1995-97 and the Reds from 2001-03. His son Aaron played for him in Cincinnati, and Boone appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for five years, from 1996 to 2000, without being elected.

At the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, Aaron and Bret posed with their father and grandfather for photos, marking the first family to send three generations to an All-Star Game.

The Phillies put Boone on their Wall of Fame in 2005, when he also joined the Washington Nationals as director of player development. He helped build the core of the team that captured the franchise's first World Series title in 2019. Boone resigned from the Nationals in 2021 rather than comply with the team's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, The Associated Press reported.

Aaron told author Scott Miller in the 2025 book "Skipper" that he called his father on the drive home almost every night. "He watches every out of every game. He absorbs it," he said.

Tributes

The Phillies described Boone as "an incredible player, teammate and family man." Larry Bowa, the shortstop on the 1980 team, said Boone "was the backbone of our team."

The New York Yankees, whom Aaron Boone has managed since 2018, said: "His legacy is profound, and we can see the values he embodied carried forward by his son, Aaron, in his leadership of the Yankees."

The Angels described Boone as their "franchise leader in games caught," while the Royals called him "our first Gold Glove winning catcher." Major League Baseball called the Boones "one of baseball's most historic families."

The Major League Baseball Players Association said Boone "earned a reputation as a strong and principled voice in the advancement of player rights in the 1970s and '80s." Former Reds general manager Jim Bowden wrote on X that Boone "was a leader as a player, coach and manager."

Boone and his wife, Susan, were high school sweethearts who had three sons, Aaron, Bret and Matthew. Bret made three All-Star teams, spending most of his career with Seattle, while Matthew played in the minors.

Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza wrote that he watched Boone play for the Phillies in the 1970s. "His play and mastery of catching inspired me to want to play the position," Piazza wrote.

My deep prayers and condolences to the family of Bob Boone, Bret, Aaron and the rest.. I grew up watching Bob with the great @Phillies teams of the 70’s.. His play and mastery of catching inspired me to want to play the position..God Bless..

— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) November 10, 2026