Bob Friend, baseball player, 1951-1966

Bob Friend

Born: 11/24/1930 in Lafayette, IN, USA

Died: 2/3/2019 in O'Hara Township, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1951-04-28 | Final Game: 1966-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Robert Bartmess Friend

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Biography

Bob Friend was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1951 to 1966. Born in 1930, Friend made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by a transition in pitching styles and the rise of offensive play. He established himself as a reliable starter, finishing his career with a record of 197-230 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.58. Over the course of his time in the league, he accumulated 1,734 strikeouts and recorded 11 saves, showcasing his versatility on the mound. Friend was selected as an All-Star four times, reflecting his status as one of the more respected pitchers of his generation. Known for his competitive spirit and durability, he often took the mound in challenging situations, earning a reputation for being a workhorse. His contributions to the teams he played for, particularly the Pittsburgh Pirates, were significant as he navigated through the evolving landscape of baseball during the mid-20th century. Despite the challenges of the era, including the integration of the game and changing offensive strategies, Friend remained a consistent presence on the mound until his retirement in 1966.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
197 230 602 497 163 36 11 3611.0 3772 1438 286 894 1734 3.58 0

Career ERA 3.58 vs. league average 3.81 across their career seasons — 5.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1951 PIT NL 6 10 34 22 3 1 0 149.7 173 71 68 41 4.27 4.04 (-6%) -1146.8
1952 PIT NL 7 17 35 23 6 1 0 185.0 186 86 84 75 4.18 3.70 (-13%) -1645.2
1953 PIT NL 8 11 32 24 8 0 0 170.7 193 93 57 66 4.90 4.14 (-19%) -469.8
1954 PIT NL 7 12 35 20 4 2 2 170.3 204 96 58 73 5.07 3.90 (-30%) 424.3
1955 PIT NL 14 9 44 20 9 2 2 200.3 178 63 52 98 2.83 4.00 (+29%) 3302.9
1956 PIT NL 17 17 49 42 19 4 3 314.3 310 121 85 166 3.46 3.96 (+13%) 6606.1
1957 PIT NL 14 18 40 38 17 3 0 277.0 273 104 68 143 3.38 3.83 (+12%) 2551.3
1958 PIT NL 22 14 38 38 16 1 0 274.0 299 112 61 135 3.68 3.86 (+5%) 3430.3
1959 PIT NL 8 19 35 35 7 2 0 234.7 267 105 52 104 4.03 3.90 (-3%) 2715.7
1960 PIT NL 18 12 38 37 16 4 1 275.7 266 92 45 183 3.00 3.82 (+21%) 9342.5
1961 PIT NL 14 19 41 35 10 1 1 236.0 271 101 45 108 3.85 4.03 (+4%) 5420.1
1962 PIT NL 18 14 39 36 13 5 1 261.7 280 89 53 144 3.06 3.96 (+23%) 4587.6
1963 PIT NL 17 16 39 38 12 4 0 268.7 236 70 44 144 2.34 3.46 (+32%) 6207.0
1964 PIT NL 13 18 35 35 13 3 0 240.3 253 89 50 128 3.33 3.58 (+7%) 5207.0
1965 PIT NL 8 12 34 34 8 2 0 222.0 221 80 47 74 3.24 3.50 (+7%) -524.9
1966 NYY AL 1 4 12 8 0 0 0 44.7 61 24 9 22 4.84 3.52 (-37%) -
1966 NYN NL 5 8 22 12 2 1 1 86.0 101 42 16 30 4.40 3.52 (-25%) -1295.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
602 1137 56 138 16 2 2 60 0 38 375 0.121 0.150 0.144 0.294 -10228.0

Career AVG .121 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 52.4% below league average.

Career OBP .150 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 53.8% below league average.

Career SLG .144 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 62.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.294 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 58.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1951 PIT NL 34 44 1 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 19 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1952 PIT NL 35 52 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 20 0.058 .252 (-77%) .326 (-72%) .369 (-84%) .696 (-78%) -675.5
1953 PIT NL 32 52 4 7 1 0 0 1 0 1 16 0.135 .264 (-49%) .335 (-55%) .397 (-61%) .733 (-58%) -525.8
1954 PIT NL 35 51 6 14 1 1 1 7 0 5 8 0.275 .261 (+5%) .333 (+2%) .390 (+1%) .723 (+1%) 11.5
1955 PIT NL 44 61 3 10 1 0 0 4 0 3 15 0.164 .258 (-37%) .332 (-39%) .393 (-54%) .726 (-47%) -498.8
1956 PIT NL 49 97 7 16 2 0 1 8 0 1 19 0.165 .258 (-36%) .331 (-48%) .397 (-46%) .728 (-46%) -802.6
1957 PIT NL 40 87 5 16 2 0 0 4 0 6 22 0.184 .257 (-29%) .323 (-28%) .391 (-47%) .715 (-38%) -568.1
1958 PIT NL 38 94 3 10 2 0 0 6 0 4 28 0.106 .257 (-59%) .324 (-56%) .394 (-68%) .719 (-63%) -1016.5
1959 PIT NL 35 73 4 12 2 0 0 7 0 2 25 0.164 .256 (-36%) .323 (-42%) .392 (-51%) .715 (-47%) -582.1
1960 PIT NL 38 88 5 6 1 0 0 3 0 6 31 0.068 .255 (-73%) .323 (-61%) .387 (-79%) .711 (-71%) -1052.0
1961 PIT NL 41 79 6 11 0 1 0 7 0 1 36 0.139 .258 (-46%) .328 (-54%) .399 (-59%) .727 (-57%) -777.8
1962 PIT NL 39 91 3 11 2 0 0 5 0 0 31 0.121 .257 (-53%) .326 (-63%) .393 (-64%) .719 (-63%) -982.7
1963 PIT NL 39 86 2 9 0 0 0 2 0 1 31 0.105 .246 (-58%) .308 (-63%) .371 (-72%) .680 (-68%) -934.6
1964 PIT NL 35 71 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 3 26 0.070 .250 (-72%) .312 (-65%) .377 (-81%) .690 (-74%) -850.4
1965 PIT NL 34 71 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 26 0.042 .245 (-83%) .310 (-82%) .371 (-89%) .682 (-86%) -972.8
1966 NYY AL 12 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 NYN NL 22 29 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 17 0.034 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 3 2 0 6.0 13 9 3 7 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS PIT 0 2 3 2 0 6.0 13 9 3 7 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 602 428 228 630 27 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1951 PIT P 34 0 10 29 1 1
1952 PIT P 35 0 10 37 2 3
1953 PIT P 32 0 7 36 3 2
1954 PIT P 35 20 7 27 1 1
1955 PIT P 44 20 7 50 2 6
1956 PIT P 49 42 14 49 2 1
1957 PIT P 40 38 18 38 1 3
1958 PIT P 38 38 7 47 1 4
1959 PIT P 35 35 24 37 1 2
1960 PIT P 38 37 24 43 1 1
1961 PIT P 41 35 19 37 3 3
1962 PIT P 39 36 18 43 1 3
1963 PIT P 39 38 23 41 2 2
1964 PIT P 35 35 12 55 2 3
1965 PIT P 34 34 21 39 1 5
1966 NYA P 12 8 3 13 0 0
1966 NYN P 22 12 4 9 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 602

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1958 TSN All-Star P

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1958 Cy Young Award ML 3rd 3.0 16 3
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 98.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 38.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 10.0 336 0