Born:  San Diego, Calif., 11/19/1947

B-R, T-R...  6'2", 202 lbs

 

Bob Boone was the anchor that held together the Phillies' pitching staff through the long season and playoffs. Boone had an off-year during the season in 1980, hitting only .229. However, he had a tremendous World Series, hitting .412 in the six games, and catching the famous 1-2 pitch from Tug McGraw that made the Phillies the World Champions of baseball.  A hardy catcher with gold-glove credentials, Boone played the entire year while recovering from off-season knee surgery following the 1979 season.

1980 Statistics

 

Games

  Hits

 HR

RBI

Avg.

1980

   141

  110 

   9

  55

.229

LCS

      5

     4

   0

    2

.222

WS

      6

     7

   0

    4

.412

Lifetime Statistics

 

Year

Team

AB

Runs

Hits

HR

RBI

Avg.

1972

Phillies

    51

     4

     14

   1

   4

.275

1973

Phillies

  521

  42

   136

 10

  61

.261

1974

Phillies

  488

  41

   118

   3

  52

.242

1975

Phillies

  289

  28

    71

   2

  20

.246

1976

Phillies

  361

  40

    98

    4

  54

.271

1977

Phillies

  440

  55

  125

 11

  66

.284

1978

Phillies

  435

  48

   123

 12

  62

.283

1979

Phillies

  398

  38

  114

   9

  58

.286

1980

Phillies

  480

  34

  110

   9

  55

.229

1981

Phillies

  227

 19

   48

    4

  24

.211

1982

Angels

  472

  42

  121

   7

  58

.256

1983

Angels

  468

  46

  120

   9

  52

.256

1984

Angels

  450

  33

   91

   3

  32

.202

1985

Angels

  460

  37

  114

   5

  55

.248

1986

Angels

  442

  48

   98

   7

  49

.222

1987

Angels

  389

  42

   94

   3

  33

.242

1988

Angels

  352

  38

  104

   5

  39

.295

1989

Royals

  405

  33

  111

   1

  43

.274

1990

Royals

  117

  11

   28

   0

   9

.239

TOTALS

 

7275

679

1838

105

826

.254

Phillies Publications

From The Phillies 1980 Media Guide:

 

How Obtained:  Phillies No. 6 selection, June 1969 free agent draft; signed by Eddie Bockman.

 

1979 Season:  Had another fine overall season that was cut short by a knee injury on 9/13 at NY...  Underwent ligament repair surgery on 9/17 for damaged left knee and worked out all winter to strengthen the leg...  Hit career high .286...  In catchers who played 115 or more games he was tops with just two passed balls (117 games); Gary Carter had three passed balls (138 games)...  He committed seven errors, second only to Ed Ott's 4 (116 games)...  Hit .373 in May and .405 in July...  Started for NL All Star team at Seattle...  Had a 13-game hitting streak...  Broke right ring finger on foul tip, 8/11 vs. Pitt....   Was hitting .310 on 7/31 before a series of injuries contributed to a drop in his batting average...  Had three hits and five RBI in Phils 23-22 win on 5/17 at Chicago...  Won his second straight Gold Glove.

 

Career:  Named to NL, UPI and THE SPORTING NEWS All-Star Teams in 1976...  Had operation on right knee following 1977 season...  Hit his only career grand slam on 6/27/76 vs. St. L. at Philadelphia...  Originally a third baseman he was converted to catching during the 1970 Instructional League...  Has played third and first for the Phillies...  His father Ray was an All-Star American League infielder (1948-1960).

 

Personal/Misc:  Owns and operates one racquetball and three Nautilus Fitness Centers in South Jersey.

From The Phillies 1981 Media Guide:

 

1980 Season:  His batting average fell to a career low .229 but his 55 RBIs were just three fewer than 1979 total...  Had outstanding post-season performance to help offset his disappointing year...  Trailed only Expos' Gary Carter in Total Chances, 937-847, Carter played in 149 games, Boone 138...  Underwent knee surgery Sept. 1979 and worked hard during off-season to rehabilitate the leg which gave him some problems in 1980...  Single to center off Woody Fryman with two out in 9th @ Montreal on 10/4 was his biggest hit of the year tying the game which Mike Schmidt won two inning later with a HR to give the Phillies their fourth Division title in five years.

 

1980 Post-Season:  Hit just .222 in LCS but hit many balls hard right at fielders while excelling behind the plate and playing most of Game #5 on a severely bruised foot...  Batted .412 in the WS hitting out of the nine hole knocking in four runs and drawing four walks.

 

Career:  Two-time Gold Glove winner (1978-79), he was the starting NL catcher in the All-Star game @ Seattle in 1979; also was a member of the NL squad in 1976-78...  Named to NL, UPI and THE SPORTING NEWS All-Star Teams in 1976...  Had operation on right knee following 1977 season and left knee in 1979 campaign...  Hit his only career grand slam on 7/27/76 @ Vet off St. L. (Lynn McGlothen)... Hit career high .286 in 1979.

 

Personal/Misc:  Son of Ray Boone, former American League All-Star third baseman (1948-1960)...  Switched from third to catching in the 1970 Instructional League...  He is the National League Player Representative and was very involved in last year's negotiations for baseball's basic agreement...  Owns and operates one racquetball and three Nautilus Fitness Centers in South Jersey.

 

From The 1980 Phillies Yearbook:

  • Favorite Color:  Blue
  • Favorite Singer/Group:  Neil Diamond
  • Favorite Song:  Wandering Star (Soundtrack- Paint Your Wagon)
  • Favorite City:  Philadelphia, what else
  • Least Favorite City:  New York, but I do find it quite interesting
  • Person You'd Most Like To Meet:  George Bush, Ali, Loni Anderson, Walter Cronkite
  • Boyhood Idol(s):  Al Rosen (always my favorite baseball player)
  • Biggest Turn-On:  Watching the developmental stages of my kids
  • Biggest Turn-Off:  Confusion and pollution
  • Favorite Subject in School:  Math/Psychology
  • Favorite TV Show:  Saturday Night Live (cracks me up)/60 Minutes
  • Favorite Book:  Thornbirds
  • Person You Most Admire:  My wife Sue, she puts up with an awful lot
  • Greatest Achievement:  "My Three Sons"
  • Most Memorable Moment:  All of the above
  • Hobbies:  Racquetball, Kung Fu, hunting, snowmobiling, fishing, golf
  • Toughest Pitcher You've Faced:  Phil Niekro (they should outlaw the knuckleball)