Father of Yankees' Aaron Boone and iconic Phillies catcher passes away at 78

One of baseball's proudest families lost a key cog this week, as Bob Boone, four-time All-Star, son of Ray and father of Aaron and Bret, passed away at 78 years old. The Philadelphia Phillies' World Series-winning backstop in 1980, Boone was a mainstay of hard-nosed 1970s baseball. He passed along a love of the game to his sons that was always inevitable, given his own origin story.

Aaron, the future Yankees manager, and Bret, the ex-Mariners All-Star, were both raised in the clubhouse of those never-say-die Phillies teams, led by stars like Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski. There's a reason Aaron always roots for the Philadelphia Eagles, after all. That fueled their love of the game and inspired the way they view the role of management (and/or helped them learn what they should be aspiring to, as well as what they should avoid).

Bob Boone was not the first Boone in Major League Baseball. Ray Boone, a two-time All-Star, served in the military during World War II, then joined Cleveland in 1948 for a cup of coffee before eventually excelling in later years, moving on to Detroit in 1953, and continuing to develop. Bob was born just before Ray's career began in 1947; the Boone's grandfather passed away back in 2004.

Yankees' Aaron Boone will mourn the death of father Bob Boone, a link to baseball history

Bret was born just before Bob's selection by the Phillies in the MLB Draft, while Aaron joined the family in 1973, the season following his father's MLB debut. The string of Boones in baseball has been essentially unbroken for nearly 80 years, and the Yankees, a legacy organization, undoubtedly prize the link they play in that chain.

Bob was in the Nationals' Player Development room when Aaron was named Yankees manager, and was present for his son's first win in pinstripes in the Yankees' home opener back in 2018. The game was played under threat of rain, but ended up being completed anyway; if it had been rained out, Bob would've had to fly to Washington to fulfill his other duties and miss it.

"I'm glad we got it in now because all my family has to go back home tomorrow," Aaron said at the time. "I'm glad they got to be here even though [it was raining]. I'm looking forward to seeing them when I'm finished with the media — having the kids in the clubhouse and taking them in the locker room to appreciate it. I'm grateful for it."

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