Bob Boone, Phillies World Series champion and three-generation baseball patriarch, dies at 78

Bob Boone, the catcher on the Philadelphia Phillies' first World Series championship team in 1980, has died at the age of 78. His son Bret Boone announced the death on social media Tuesday, while the Phillies confirmed in a statement that Boone died Monday.

Boone won seven Gold Glove Awards during his career and was part of baseball's first three-generation family. His father Ray played 13 major league seasons and was a two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers.

“He was a man of great integrity. He was a great dad, husband, and patriarch. It was a privilege to call him my father. Baseball lost a great one today.”

Boone spent his first 10 seasons with the Phillies before playing seven seasons with the California Angels and two with the Kansas City Royals. He later managed both the Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.

His son Aaron Boone played 13 major league seasons and now manages the New York Yankees. Another son, Bret Boone, was a three-time All-Star over a 14-year career largely with the Seattle Mariners. A third son played in the minor leagues.

Boone caught 1,095 games with Philadelphia, second on the team's all-time list to Red Dooin's 1,124. Across 19 big league seasons, he caught 2,225 games overall.

The Phillies praised Boone as an incredible player, teammate, and family man who embodied exemplary values on and off the field. The Yankees noted that Aaron Boone continues to carry forward his father's values in leading the team.

No cause of death was announced.