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Robert Bartmess Friend
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher
Born: November 24, 1930, Lafayette, IN
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1951-1965; New York Yankees 1966; New York Mets 1966
Died: February 3, 2019, O'Hara Township, PA (age 88)
Nicknamed "The Warrior," Bob Friend was a mainstay in the Pirates starting pitching rotation for 15 seasons, playing a key role in the team's advancement to the 1960 World Series. Friend made the Pirates out of spring training in 1951, and he'd never return to the minor leagues. He led the National League with a 2.83 ERA in 1955, becoming the first leader in the category to come from a last place team. He made his first of four All-Star teams in 1956, while leading the league with 42 starts. Playing for a second division Pirates team, he only crossed the 20-win plateau once, leading the league with 22 wins in 1958. In 1960, Friend and Vern Law (#515) combined for one of the best two top of the rotation starters from their era, helping propel the Pirates into the World Series. Friend struggled against the Yankees in the Series, but the Pirates prevailed in seven games thanks to Bill Mazeroski's (#95) dramatic walk-off home run.
Friend pitched with the Pirates through the 1965 season, and then played a final year with the Yankees and Mets. He retired with a 197-230 record, a 3.58 ERA and 1,734 strikeouts in 3,611 innings pitched. His 36 career shutouts are 63rd all-time. He ranks high in several main pitching categories on the Pirates' all-time franchise leader board, including fourth in wins, third in games pitched, first (with 477) in games started, first in innings pitched and first in strikeouts.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #431
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
I wonder who is behind Friend in the dugout, waiting for their chance to pose for the Topps photographer? That's a lot of Pirates statistics on the back of the card, and there's no room for a cartoon highlight.
1965 Season
In his final season in Pittsburgh, Friend slotted into the third spot in the Pirates' starting pitching rotation behind Bob Veale (#195) and Don Cardwell (#502). In 34 starts, he was 8-12 with a 3.24 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 222 innings pitched. It was to be his 11th and final time throwing at least 200 innings. On December 10th, the Pirates traded him to the Yankees for pitcher Pete Mikkelsen (#177) and cash.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Bowman #191
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1952, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-BF
137 - Friend non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #431
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Friend card which was a little over $7 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
I wonder who is behind Friend in the dugout, waiting for their chance to pose for the Topps photographer? That's a lot of Pirates statistics on the back of the card, and there's no room for a cartoon highlight.
1965 Season
In his final season in Pittsburgh, Friend slotted into the third spot in the Pirates' starting pitching rotation behind Bob Veale (#195) and Don Cardwell (#502). In 34 starts, he was 8-12 with a 3.24 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 222 innings pitched. It was to be his 11th and final time throwing at least 200 innings. On December 10th, the Pirates traded him to the Yankees for pitcher Pete Mikkelsen (#177) and cash.
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First Mainstream Card: 1952 Bowman #191
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1952, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-BF
137 - Friend non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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