Bob Friend, Pirates pitching legend, dies at 88

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | February 3, 2019 | Stephen J. Nesbitt

[EveningStar]

Bob Friend, an ironman right-handed pitcher who never spent a day on the disabled list during his 16-year Major League Baseball career, died Sunday from a cardiac event in his sleep. He was 88.

“It was sudden and there were no warning signs,” his son, also Bob Friend, a longtime pro golfer,said. “He wasn’t suffering and went out quickly and was discovered by my mother [Pat Friend] this morning.”

The elder Mr. Friend, who lived in O’Hara, was a poster boy for the Pirates in the 1950s and 1960s. The 20-year-old was thrust into the starting rotation in 1951 and asked to ride out the storm. The pitiful Pirates lost more than 100 games in three of his four seasons; he had 50 losses to his name before age 24.

As the kid pitcher grew, so did the ballclub. In 1955, Mr. Friend became the first pitcher to have the league’s lowest earned run average, at 2.83, while playing for a last-place team. In 1958, he led the league with a career-best 22 wins. In 1960, the four-time All-Star became a World Series champion.

[EveningStar]

Wikipedia

Career stats

[Carriage Hill]

I remember him; had his baseball card as a kid back in 60s.
RIP.

[OrangeHoof]

88 is a full life. RIP. Hope he knew Jesus.

[o-n-money]

It seemed like Bob Friend and Bobby Knoop were in every pack of baseball cards.

[foreverfree]

Friend is reunited with his skipper from the 1960* world champion Bucs, my fellow Chester, PA native Danny Murtaugh. RIP Bob.

*MLB's last season of the Original 16. MLB began expanding in 1961. (hey, if the NHL can have an Original Six...)

ff

[Pilgrim's Progress]

At the end, it isn’t about what you did in the world, but what did you do with Jesus? It is one thing to gain the whole world, but lose one’s soul.

[buckalfa]

*MLB's last season of the Original 16. "

A time when many American boys could recite the starting lineup of each MLB team yet strangely had trouble with their multiplication tables.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I wonder how many kids today know the starting lineups of any team? I know it’s harder with many more teams, and players come and go in free agency.

But, I swear, I go to ball games, and half the people there aren’t watching the game, or talking about the game.

Times have changed.

[ConchKarl]

Watched him back in the 1950s when my Dad would take us to Forbes Field. In the mid 1950s, the Pirates were very inconsistent and when 1960 came around, there was a huge backing of the Bucs... Still remember hearing Bob Prince doing the games on KDKA and talking about Elroy Face, Vernon Hill, Bill Mazerwoski, Smokey Burgess, Dick Stuart, Roberto Clemente, Bob Skinner, Virgil Hill, Don Houk and Dick Schofield. Loved sitting in the bleachers, very different from today. Forbes Field with the ivy reminded me of the Chicago Cubs ball-field.

God speed!

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.