Bob Boone---1981
Bret Boone’s recent announcement
that he was retiring from the game
brought to mind perhaps the most
notable multi-generation families at
the major league level. The Boone
legacy consists for four players who
made significant contributions to the
game at various moments. Bret was a
three-time all-star, while Aaron
received the same accolades with the
Reds in 2003 prior to joining the
Yankees and hitting the American
League Championship Series-
winning home run versus the Red
Sox.
The old men in the family did pretty
well for themselves. Ray Boone
reached the big leagues in 1948 with
the Indians and proceeded to earn
all-star honors in 1954 and 1956. In
between those two seasons, in 1955,
he led the junior circuit with 116 RBIs
by driving the ball to all fields with his
smooth and steady stroke and his
ability to hit the curveball with aplomb.
Yet for all of the accomplishments on
the Boone family tree, the best of the
bunch was Bob, who was the most
durable catcher in major league
history who caught the most games
before Carlton Fisk beat his mark by
one. The Stanford University product
was a four-time all-star and a seven
Gold Glove winner behind the plate,
and served as a catalyst on the
Phillies’ perennial pennant-
contending clubs in the late 1970s.
The power in his bat did not compare
to that of such teammates as Mike
Schmidt and Greg Luzinski, but his
handling of the pitching staff and
superb defensive play behind the
dish makes Boone’s lack of support
for Hall of Fame consideration one of
the more perplexing results from the
so-called esteem voters of the
BBWAA.
that he was retiring from the game
brought to mind perhaps the most
notable multi-generation families at
the major league level. The Boone
legacy consists for four players who
made significant contributions to the
game at various moments. Bret was a
three-time all-star, while Aaron
received the same accolades with the
Reds in 2003 prior to joining the
Yankees and hitting the American
League Championship Series-
winning home run versus the Red
Sox.
The old men in the family did pretty
well for themselves. Ray Boone
reached the big leagues in 1948 with
the Indians and proceeded to earn
all-star honors in 1954 and 1956. In
between those two seasons, in 1955,
he led the junior circuit with 116 RBIs
by driving the ball to all fields with his
smooth and steady stroke and his
ability to hit the curveball with aplomb.
Yet for all of the accomplishments on
the Boone family tree, the best of the
bunch was Bob, who was the most
durable catcher in major league
history who caught the most games
before Carlton Fisk beat his mark by
one. The Stanford University product
was a four-time all-star and a seven
Gold Glove winner behind the plate,
and served as a catalyst on the
Phillies’ perennial pennant-
contending clubs in the late 1970s.
The power in his bat did not compare
to that of such teammates as Mike
Schmidt and Greg Luzinski, but his
handling of the pitching staff and
superb defensive play behind the
dish makes Boone’s lack of support
for Hall of Fame consideration one of
the more perplexing results from the
so-called esteem voters of the
BBWAA.
