Former Cincinnati Reds Manager Bob Boone Passes Away at 78

The news broke on Tuesday morning.

Aug 7, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton and catcher Bob Boone during Alumni Day ceremony before game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Former Cincinnati Reds manager Bob Boone has passed away at the age of 78, per reports. Boone managed the Reds from 2001 to 2003 and was the father of Bret and Aaron, both of whom are former big-league players.

Boone was hired by the Reds in 2021. In 2 1/2 seasons at the helm, Boone had 190 wins and 238 losses.

Before managing the Reds, Boone was the manager of the Kansas City Royals from 1995-1997.

"Prayers, condolences and thoughts to the Boone family on the passing of Bob," former Reds General Manager Jim Bowden wrote on X. "He was a leader as a player, coach and manager...a great son husband father grandfather...gold glove catcher...loved baseball and family at an elite level...high class and character special human being...blessed to have spent many years with him🙏🏻⚾️❤️"

Formet Mets catcher and great Mike Piazza also shared a nice message on X about Boone.

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

Boone Had a Great Career as a Player

Boone had a fantastic playing career in the bigs. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 1969 MLB Draft out of Stanford University.

He made his Major League debut with Philadelphia on September 10, 1972, going 0-for-2 against the Chicago Cubs.

Boone was with the Phillies from 1972 to 1981 before finishing up his career with seven seasons with the California Angels and two seasons with the Royals.

Over his 19-year career, Boone slashed .254/.315/.346 with 105 home runs. He was a 4x All-Star (1976, 1978, 1979, and 1982) and a 6x Gold Glove winner (1978, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989).

Boone retired in 1990 at the age of 42. In his last game with the Royals, Boone went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

He will be greatly missed.

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