Ray Boone, 81; Baseball Player Had Son, Grandsons in Majors

Ray Boone, a two-time All Star and the patriarch of the first three-generation family in major league baseball, died Sunday in San Diego following a long illness. He was 81.

“It’s going to be a real sad week for our family,” Boone’s son, Bob, who played 19 seasons as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels and Kansas City Royals, told Major League Baseball’s website. “But we all have a pretty strong faith and know he’s in the best place. We’ve seen him go through a real tough time the last six months.”

Bob Boone, who also managed the Royals and Cincinnati Reds, did not disclose the nature of his father’s illness.

A native of San Diego, Ray Boone received a $500 bonus when he was signed out of high school as a catcher by the Cleveland Indians. As a minor leaguer, he played briefly with the Hollywood Stars in 1948, the same year he was called up by the Indians to replace Lou Boudreau as the team’s shortstop. Boone also played with Detroit, the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City A’s, the Milwaukee Braves and the Boston Red Sox, in a career that stretched from 1948 to 1960. In 1955, he led the American League in runs batted in and was selected to the All-Star team in 1954 and 1956. Boone hit .275 with 151 home runs and 737 RBIs over his career.

He was followed into the majors by his son Bob.

His grandsons Bret and Aaron, both infielders, make up the third generation. Currently with Seattle, Bret Boone has also played with Cincinnati, Atlanta and San Diego. Aaron Boone played with Cincinnati and the New York Yankees and, most recently, signed with his grandfather’s first team, the Indians.

The Boones were also the first family to have three generations play in All-Star Games.

“We were the first three-generation family,” Ray Boone’s wife, Pat, said. “We’re not the only one, but we were the first.”

The other families with three generations of major-league players are the Hairstons (Sam, Jerry Sr. and Jerry Jr.) and the Bells (Gus, Buddy, David and Mike).

After retiring from baseball, Ray Boone worked as a scout for the Red Sox. There was a moment of silence in his honor Sunday night at Fenway Park before Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.