Bob Boone Dies at 78, Former MLB All-Star Won 1980 World Series With Phillies

Four-time MLB All-Star Bob Boone has died at the age of 78.

Bret Boone, Boone's son and former MLB second baseman, issued a statement on his Facebook page about his father.

"He was a man of great integrity," Bret wrote. "He was a great dad, husband, and patriarch. It was a privilege to call him my father. Baseball lost a great one today. I love you dad❤️ RIP."

The MLB Players Association issued a statement highlighting Boone's career and family.

Boone played 19 seasons with three different teams from 1972 to '90. He was originally a sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969.

After three years in the minors, Boone was called up to the big leagues late in '72. He took over as the full-time starting catcher in 1973, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Boone was a member of the 1980 Phillies team that defeated the Kansas City Royals in the World Series for the first championship in franchise history.

Following a 10-year run in Philadelphia, Boone played seven seasons with the California Angels and two seasons with the Royals to close out his career.

Boone's accolades include seven Gold Glove awards, including four straight from 1986 to '89. Iván Rodríguez, Johnny Bench and Yadier Molina are the only catchers with more Gold Gloves than Boone.

The Phillies inducted Boone into their Wall of Fame in 2005. He is one of only 51 former players, managers and executives in franchise history to receive the honor.

Boone hit .254/.315/.346 in 2,264 career MLB games. He also spent six seasons as a manager across two stints with the Royals (1995 to '97) and Cincinnati Reds (2001 to '03) after his playing career ended.

Bob is also the father of Bret and current New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

The Boones became the first three-generation family in MLB history with Bob part of the second generation after his father, Ray Boone, had a 13-year career from 1948 to '60.