Magic Royals moments, 1989: An under-the-radar heads-up play by Boone

Bob Boone finished up his 19-year career with the Kansas City Royals. A maneuver he pulled in a 1989 game was called by Orioles manager Frank Robinson about as smart a play as a catcher can make.

By Phil Ellenbecker
  I can remember a kind of sneaky, sly grin playing on venerable Hall of Famer Frank Robinson's face, a chuckle as he sat in the manager's office of the visiting clubhouse at Royals Stadium. The Baltimore Orioles manager could afford to be in a good mood, his team having won 4-3 in 13 innings on a Friday night, July 28, 1989. He was recalling a play made by Royals catcher Bob Boone in the top of the 13th inning when the Orioles scored what proved to be the winning run.
  Robinson said it was about as smart a play as you will ever see a catcher make. Yet it was largely unappreciated -- because it didn't win a game, the way it unfolded was somewhat unusual, and its implications weren't immediately clear. The way it reads on the retrosheet.org  play by play masks what happened. "Montgomery threw wild pitch [Orsulak scored (error by Boone) (unearned), Traber out at third (center to third)]."
  What Boone did, at least as far as I can remember: Jeff Montgomery uncorked a wild pitch that went back to the screen with Jim Traber on first base and Joe Orsulak on second. So wild was the pitch that Orsulak decided to try to advance two bases instead of the customary one and score the go-ahead run.
  And Boone, instead of picking the ball up and trying to get Orsulak trying to score, unhesitatingly turned around and whipped the ball to second to try to get Traber. Except — and again I'm relying on memory because I don't think I realized what was happening and not too sure others did — I don't think anybody was at second to cover because the throw wasn't expected. So it went on into center field, where it was retrieved by Willlie Wilson, who threw to Rey Palacios to retire Traber trying to advance to third. It was the third out of the inning, leaving the Royals behind 4-3 with one last chance in their half of the 13th.
  I think Robinson was chuckling because he realized the gathered writers didn't realize how smart a play that was. Boone was thinking ahead as he chased the ball back to the screen, passed up the obvious play and went with the unexpected to try to get Traber. Only instead of being rewarded for his alertness, he was charged with an error and Montgomery with an unearned run. But the play did indirectly get the Royals out of the inning, and possibly saved a run with just one to catch up.
  And then Boone, who was in the first of two years with the Royals wrapping up a 19-year career, was the first one up in the bottom of the inning and flied out to right. Gary Thurman also went out to right, Wilson popped to the catcher, that was the ballgame. And Boone's wily ruse had gone for naught, off into the middle-of-the-season meaningless Friday night to be forgotten.
  But not by Robbie. I wonder if Frank still remembers that play?
Beyond
  Actually, the Orioles and Royals had a lot to play for at this point of the season. After this game the Orioles stood 54-46 (.540) while the Royals were 55-47 (.539). Baltimore wasd first in the American League East, 3 1/2 games over Cleveland, while Kansas City was in fourth, 7 1/2 back of California.
  The Orioles would end up in second, two back of Toronto, and Robinson would be named Manager of the Year is his first full year as skipper, having been hired midway through 1988. But the O's finished fifth and sixth the next two years, and Robinson was gone 38 games into the 1991 season.
  The Royals would also end up second in '89, seven back of Oakland, for their best finish since winning the World Series in 1985. At this point the Royals were still hopeful of being an annual contender in the division and league races. But K.C. fell back to sixth place the next two seasons, and manager John Wathan, who'd come on in 1988, like Robinson was gone in 1991, also 38 games into the season. And the Royals were never really the same until 2014.
Like a rock
  That Bob Boone should be credited by Frank Robinson with making one of the smartest plays he'd ever seen by a catcher isn't surprising.  Boone ranks fourth all time among catchers in Gold Gloves won with seven, and fourth among catchers in total zone runs (a metric measuring the number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made).
  He's also among the most durable backstops ever, ranking third in number of games caught, even though he didn't catch his first game in the major leagues until age 25. He wasn't on the disabled list until the last of his 19 years, in 1990.
  And the Stanford graduate was always considered one of the smartest players in the game, perhaps too smart for his own good when he became a manager with the Royals in the late 1990s. Boone caught some heat for perhaps overthinking the game at times. Perhaps like he was on July 28, 1989.
  Ironically, Boone was involved with a play involving the Royals as the opponent on which he didn't look so alert, and Pete Rose did, in the 1980 World Series.
  With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, Frank White sent a pop-up into foul territory toward the first-base dugout. Boone and Rose converged on it and Boone appeared to have it, but the ball popped out of his mitt. But Rose was there to catch it. And Wilson then struck out for a then-record 12th time, giving the Philadelphia Phillies their first World Series title ever.
  And everybody raved about what a heads-up play Rose made. See it here at https://www.mlb.com/video/rose-helps-boone-get-the-out/c-19987965. But take a look at the replay and you'll see that Boone had to go a lot farther for the ball than Rose did. So you could say it was really Pete's ball and Boone was covering up for him, only to have Rose seemingly save his ass.
  Poor Bob Boone. So misunderstood.