Ray Boone

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1960 Topps baseball card #281

Raymond Otis Boone (July 27, 1923 - October 17, 2004) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball.

Boone was born in San Diego, California. An infielder, he broke in on September 3, 1948 with the Cleveland Indians. Over the next 13 years, he hit .275 with 151 home runs in 1373 games for Cleveland, the Detroit Tigers (an All-Star in 1954 and 1956), the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Athletics, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Boston Red Sox.

Boone was followed into the big leagues by son, Bob, who played from 1972-1990, and grandsons Bret, who played from 1992-2005, and Aaron, who has played since 1997. The Boone family was the first to send three generations of players to the All-Star Game.

[edit] Facts

The fact that Boone played for the Red Sox was ironic because:

1) He attended the same high school as Ted Williams.

2) His grandson Aaron hit the game-winning home run against the Sox in the 2003 American League Championship Series.

3) He and Joe Torre were teammates on the 1960 Braves.

Boone's death at age 81 in San Diego was announced at Fenway Park before Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS between Boston and the Yankees, followed by a moment of silence – one year to the day after Aaron hit his homer.