Although I don't play in the major leagues, I was a close friend to ..." who I know since high school. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an All-Star in 1956 and 1958. He was a brilliant marketer and became a major-leaguer.
Friend pitched for Pittsburgh Pirates
My best friend in baseball pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 1960s. During his career, Friend won three NL Cy Young Awards and was named the league's best pitcher four times. He was the first pitcher in history to have a ERA under three. Friend also led the NL with strikeouts per walk. He pitched more than 200 innings six times in his career, including five seasons when he topped 200 innings.
Bob Friend made his major league debut in 1950 after he had pitched minor league baseball. He won three games in that season for the Pirates, and was a key component of their 1960 championship winning team. Friend was a Lafayette, Ind. native who grew up playing sports such as basketball, baseball and golf. He was a star athlete from West Lafayette High School. Before the 1950 season, he signed with Pittsburgh.
Friend was an All-Star at 1956, 1958, 1962 and 1960
Friend pitched in the National League for three seasons and was an All-Star in each of those years. He led the league in innings pitched and games started twice. 1958 was his best year. He had a 22-14 record. In 1960, Friend was named to the All-Star team after going 18-12 in the regular season. He was also a poor pitcher against the New York Yankees during the World Series.
Friend was born Robert Bartmess Friend in 1930 and raised in West Lafayette, Ind. He began taking piano lessons as a child and planned to become a concert pianist. He was also an outstanding West Lafayette High School baseball and football player. He was signed before the 1950 season by the Pirates.
1960, Friend was an All-Star
Friend had a fine control and was exceptionally durable, never having to go on the disabled list. His best year was 1958, when his record was 22-14. This season also saw him tie Warren Spahn for the league's lead in wins. He was an All-Star again in 1960, when his record was 18-12. He pitched poorly in the World Series against the Yankees.
After one season spent in the minors, Friend was traded to the Pirates in 1951. The Pirates placed seventh in that series and Friend was traded the next season. He became the team’s all-time leader for innings pitched, strikes outs, and games played. He gave up the first of Pete Rose’s 4,256 hits in 1963. In the 1960 World Series, Friend teamed with his friend Bob Cooper, an A-list hurler for the Pirates from the 1910s to the 1920s.