Bob Friend was born on Monday, November 24, 1930, in Lafayette, Indiana. Friend was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 28, 1951, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Bob Friend baseball stats page.
"A gentleman in every sense, respected universally by fellow ballplayers (who put his business sense to work long ago by making him a league player representative), Friend is articulate, cooperative, and knowledgeable. His blue eyes twinkle with a humor that's softer than Whitey Ford's, but rich enough. And if there is such a think as big league atmosphere, Friend exudes it." - Koppett, Leonard. Baseball Historian. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Neyer, Rob & James, Bill. Authors. Touchstone Publishing. 15 June 2004. Bob Friend. Page 108.
Bob FriendBob 'The Warrior' Friend Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#298 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bob FriendBob Friend Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1951 | 21 | Pirates | 34 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 10 | .375 | 4.27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 149.2 | 666 | 173 | 71 | 94 | 12 | 68 | 2 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
1952 | 22 | Pirates | 35 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 17 | .292 | 4.18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 185.0 | 820 | 186 | 86 | 96 | 15 | 84 | 4 | 75 | 7 | 3 | 1 | - |
1953 | 23 | Pirates | 32 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 11 | .421 | 4.90 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 170.2 | 747 | 193 | 93 | 103 | 18 | 57 | 1 | 66 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - |
1954 | 24 | Pirates | 35 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 12 | .368 | 5.07 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 170.1 | 758 | 204 | 96 | 106 | 16 | 58 | 0 | 73 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
1955 | 25 | Pirates | 44 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 9 | .609 | 2.83 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 200.1 | 813 | 178 | 63 | 80 | 18 | 52 | 4 | 98 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - |
1956 | 26 | Pirates | 49 | 42 | 7 | 17 | 17 | .500 | 3.46 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 314.1 | 1,315 | 310 | 121 | 137 | 25 | 85 | 18 | 166 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - |
1957 | 27 | Pirates | 40 | 38 | 1 | 14 | 18 | .438 | 3.38 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 277.0 | 1,148 | 273 | 104 | 121 | 28 | 68 | 8 | 143 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
1958 | 28 | Pirates | 38 | 38 | 0 | 22 | 14 | .611 | 3.68 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 274.0 | 1,146 | 299 | 112 | 120 | 25 | 61 | 11 | 135 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
1959 | 29 | Pirates | 35 | 35 | 0 | 8 | 19 | .296 | 4.03 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 234.2 | 1,015 | 267 | 105 | 129 | 19 | 52 | 9 | 104 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
1960 | 30 | Pirates | 38 | 37 | 1 | 18 | 12 | .600 | 3.00 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 275.2 | 1,118 | 266 | 92 | 97 | 18 | 45 | 10 | 183 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - |
1961 | 31 | Pirates | 41 | 35 | 3 | 14 | 19 | .424 | 3.85 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 236.0 | 1,001 | 271 | 101 | 119 | 16 | 45 | 10 | 108 | 4 | 3 | 0 | - |
1962 | 32 | Pirates | 39 | 36 | 3 | 18 | 14 | .563 | 3.06 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 261.2 | 1,096 | 280 | 89 | 99 | 23 | 53 | 10 | 144 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - |
1963 | 33 | Pirates | 39 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 16 | .515 | 2.34 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 268.2 | 1,080 | 236 | 70 | 87 | 13 | 44 | 9 | 144 | 6 | 5 | 6 | - |
1964 | 34 | Pirates | 35 | 35 | 0 | 13 | 18 | .419 | 3.33 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 240.1 | 1,004 | 253 | 89 | 98 | 10 | 50 | 12 | 128 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
1965 | 35 | Pirates | 34 | 34 | 0 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 3.24 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 222.0 | 917 | 221 | 80 | 89 | 17 | 47 | 7 | 74 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
1966 | 36 | Yankees | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 4.84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44.2 | 197 | 61 | 24 | 25 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1966 | 36 | Mets | 22 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 8 | .385 | 4.40 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 86.0 | 373 | 101 | 42 | 52 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
16 Years | 602 | 497 | 56 | 197 | 230 | .461 | 3.58 | 163 | 36 | 11 | 3,611.0 | 15,214 | 3,772 | 1,438 | 1,652 | 286 | 894 | 122 | 1,734 | 50 | 46 | 13 | 0 |
Bob FriendBob Friend Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1951 | 21 | Pirates | 34 | 44 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .091 | .130 | .136 |
1952 | 22 | Pirates | 35 | 52 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .058 | .093 | .058 |
1953 | 23 | Pirates | 32 | 52 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .135 | .151 | .154 |
1954 | 24 | Pirates | 35 | 51 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .275 | .339 | .392 |
1955 | 25 | Pirates | 44 | 61 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .164 | .203 | .180 |
1956 | 26 | Pirates | 49 | 97 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .165 | .173 | .216 |
1957 | 27 | Pirates | 40 | 87 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .184 | .234 | .207 |
1958 | 28 | Pirates | 38 | 94 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .106 | .141 | .128 |
1959 | 29 | Pirates | 35 | 73 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .164 | .187 | .192 |
1960 | 30 | Pirates | 38 | 88 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .068 | .128 | .080 |
1961 | 31 | Pirates | 41 | 79 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .139 | .150 | .165 |
1962 | 32 | Pirates | 39 | 91 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .121 | .121 | .143 |
1963 | 33 | Pirates | 39 | 86 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .105 | .115 | .105 |
1964 | 34 | Pirates | 35 | 71 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .070 | .108 | .070 |
1965 | 35 | Pirates | 34 | 71 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .042 | .056 | .042 |
1966 | 36 | Yankees | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1966 | 36 | Mets | 22 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .034 | .034 | .034 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
16 Years | 602 | 1,137 | 56 | 138 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 38 | 0 | 375 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 14 | .121 | .150 | .144 |
Bob FriendBob Friend Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1951 Pirates | P | 34 | 22 | 449 | 40 | 1.2 | 39 | 10 | 29 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.35 |
1952 Pirates | P | 35 | 23 | 555 | 49 | 1.4 | 47 | 10 | 37 | 2 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .959 | 2.29 |
1953 Pirates | P | 32 | 24 | 512 | 46 | 1.4 | 43 | 7 | 36 | 3 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .935 | 2.27 |
1954 Pirates | P | 35 | 20 | 511 | 35 | 1.0 | 34 | 7 | 27 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 1.80 |
1955 Pirates | P | 44 | 20 | 601 | 59 | 1.3 | 57 | 7 | 50 | 2 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.56 |
1956 Pirates | P | 49 | 42 | 943 | 65 | 1.3 | 63 | 14 | 49 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 1.80 |
1957 Pirates | P | 40 | 38 | 831 | 57 | 1.4 | 56 | 18 | 38 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 1.82 |
1958 Pirates | P | 38 | 38 | 822 | 55 | 1.4 | 54 | 7 | 47 | 1 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 1.77 |
1959 Pirates | P | 35 | 35 | 704 | 62 | 1.8 | 61 | 24 | 37 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.34 |
1960 Pirates | P | 38 | 37 | 827 | 68 | 1.8 | 67 | 24 | 43 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 2.19 |
1961 Pirates | P | 41 | 35 | 708 | 59 | 1.4 | 56 | 19 | 37 | 3 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .949 | 2.14 |
1962 Pirates | P | 39 | 36 | 785 | 62 | 1.6 | 61 | 18 | 43 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.10 |
1963 Pirates | P | 39 | 38 | 806 | 66 | 1.7 | 64 | 23 | 41 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 2.14 |
1964 Pirates | P | 35 | 35 | 721 | 69 | 2.0 | 67 | 12 | 55 | 2 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 2.51 |
1965 Pirates | P | 34 | 34 | 666 | 61 | 1.8 | 60 | 21 | 39 | 1 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.43 |
1966 Yankees | P | 12 | 8 | 134 | 16 | 1.3 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.22 |
1966 Mets | P | 22 | 12 | 258 | 16 | 0.7 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .813 | 1.36 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 602 | 497 | 10,833 | 885 | 1.5 | 858 | 228 | 630 | 27 | 40 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.14 | |
16 Years | 602 | 497 | 10,833 | 885 | 1.5 | 858 | 228 | 630 | 27 | 40 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.14 |
Bob FriendBob Friend Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1951 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.3 | 22.0 | 0.60 | 2.47 | 4.09 |
1952 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.89 | 3.65 | 4.09 |
1953 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.3 | 52.0 | 1.16 | 3.48 | 3.01 |
1954 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 51.0 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 1.26 | 3.86 | 3.06 |
1955 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.1 | 15.3 | 1.88 | 4.40 | 2.34 |
1956 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 97.0 | 5.1 | 12.1 | 1.95 | 4.75 | 2.43 |
1957 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.0 | 21.8 | 2.10 | 4.65 | 2.21 |
1958 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.4 | 15.7 | 2.21 | 4.43 | 2.00 |
1959 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.9 | 10.4 | 2.00 | 3.99 | 1.99 |
1960 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.8 | 29.3 | 4.07 | 5.97 | 1.47 |
1961 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 11.3 | 2.40 | 4.12 | 1.72 |
1962 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.9 | 18.2 | 2.72 | 4.95 | 1.82 |
1963 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.8 | 43.0 | 3.27 | 4.82 | 1.47 |
1964 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.7 | 35.5 | 2.56 | 4.79 | 1.87 |
1965 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.7 | 71.0 | 1.57 | 3.00 | 1.91 |
1966 Yankees | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 2.44 | 4.43 | 1.81 |
1966 Mets | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.7 | 29.0 | 1.88 | 3.14 | 1.67 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
16 Years | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 568.5 | 3.0 | 19.0 | 1.94 | 4.32 | 2.23 |
Bob FriendBob Friend Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1951 Pittsburgh Pirates | 25 | Undetermined | - | - |
1952 Pittsburgh Pirates | 25 | Undetermined | - | - |
1953 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1954 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1955 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1956 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1957 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1958 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1959 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | Stats | Stats |
1961 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1962 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1963 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1964 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | Undetermined | - | - |
1965 Pittsburgh Pirates | 19 | $37,500.00 | - | - |
1966 New York Yankees | 19 | $47,000.00 | - | - |
1966 New York Mets | 20 | " " | - | - |
Bob Friend Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Robert Bartmess Friend was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951–1965), New York Yankees (1966) and New York Mets (1966). Bob, his nickname, went 14-9 with the last-place 1955 Bucs, his first winning season, and his ERA (2.83) was the best in the Senior Circuit, making "The Warrior" the first twirler to win an ERA Title with a last-place team!
Bob Friend | 1961 Post Cereal Baseball Card (#125)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
The Bucs had ten losing seasons from 1951 through 1965, finishing in last place five times, and losing 100-or-more games three times, while Bob Friend was with the club. During that time, Friend won ten-or-more games nine times, fifteen-or-more games five times, and a league leading 22 wins in 1958 (Top 25)! The very next season, Friend struggled with his weight, led the league in games lost, and said, "The harder I worked, the tougher it became." Fans were upset with the former ace, but Danny Murtaugh (Pirates Manager, 1957-64, 1967, 1970-71, 1973-76) told the media, "What would you do if a Cadillac broke down? You wouldn't junk it You'd get the trouble fixed. So why should I give up on Bob?"
Did you know that Bob Friend holds the all-time Pittsburgh Pirates franchise records for career games started (477), strikeouts (1,682), innings pitched (3,480.1), and totals batters faced (14,644)? His résumé includes a few more team records he might not have wanted, but he holds them nonetheless; most games lost (218), most home runs surrendered (273), most earned runs allowed (1,372), and most hits allowed (3,610).
Did you know that Bob Friend once said, "I don't baby my arm. Robin Roberts once told me to keep on throwing and I'd never have trouble with my arm. He was so right. If there's a slight stiffness, I throw it out." The advice given to him by the hall of famer worked for The Warrior - not once in his career did he get sent to the disabled list!
In 1966, Bob Friend pitched for both modern New York teams — the first player in baseball history to take the field for the Yankees and Mets during the same season! Here is a research list of New York Baseball Players, for those who want to see every player in history in that particular "club".