Bob Friend Stats

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.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"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 Friend

Bob 'The Warrior' Friend Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#298 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1991top05' title='1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Bob 'The Warrior' Friend Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#298 | Checklist)

CareerCollegeAll-StarWild CardDivisionLCSWorld SeriesManagerTradesAwardsVideosCardsmlb   espn
Birth Name:   Robert Bartmess Friend
Nickname:   Bob or Warrior
Born On:   11-24-1930  (Sagittarius)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Lafayette, Indiana
Year of Death Data Died On:   02-03-2019 (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania
Cemetery:   Not Yet Determined
High School:   West Lafayette High School (West Lafayette, IN)
College:   Purdue University
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-00   Player Weight Chart Weight:   190
First Game:   04-28-1951 (Age 20)
Last Game:   09-24-1966
Draft:   Not Applicable / Signing Bonus = $12,500

Bob Friend

Bob Friend Pitching Stats

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 -
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 Friend

Bob Friend Hitting Stats

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
16 Years 602 1,137 56 138 16 2 2 0 60 38 0 375 120 2 0 14 .121 .150 .144

Bob Friend

Bob Friend Fielding Stats

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
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 Friend

Bob Friend Miscellaneous Stats

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
16 Years 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 568.5 3.0 19.0 1.94 4.32 2.23

Bob Friend

Bob Friend Miscellaneous Items of Interest

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 "     "     - -

search this site site glossary Print Friendly and PDF

baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Robert Bartmess Friend was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (19511965), 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 Baseball Card | Baseball Almanac

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".