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In 15 seasons with Pittsburgh, Friend pitched on five last-place teams and is the only pitcher to have lost more than 200 (230) while winning fewer than 200 (197). In 1955 he became the first to lead a major league in ERA (2.83) while pitching for a last-place team. Friend twice topped the NL in hits allowed, and lost a league-high 19 in both 1959 and 1961. But he paced the NL in starts each season from 1956 through 1958, innings in 1956 and 1957, and tied with Warren Spahn for the NL lead with 22 wins in 1958. Friend shares the NL record with two All-Star Game victories (1956 and 1960), and lost the 1958 All-Star Game as a reliever. Friend lost Games Two and Six in the dramatic 1960 Yankee-Pirate World Series. A Purdue graduate, Friend served as Pittsburgh and NL player representative. (TJ)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 26, 1951: The Pirates club the Dodgers, 12–11 to win the opener of two with the league leaders. Brooklyn chases Howie Pollet and takes a 9–2 lead but the Bucs roar back with eight runs in the 7th inning. Clyde King, unscored on in his last eight games, is the loser. The Dodgers load the bases in the 9th, and Murry Dickson walks pinch-hitter Cal Abrams to force in a run and make the score 12–11. But Carl Furillo and Pee Wee Reese fail to deliver. Pete Castiglione has two homers for the Pirates. Brooklyn wins the second game, 4–3, when Jackie Robinson homers in the 10th, off Ted Wilks. Andy Pafko homers in the 8th, off Bob Friend, and Preacher Roe (17-2) goes all the way. » May 20, 1953: Paced by Red Schoendienst's six RBIs, on a home run, two doubles, and a single, the Cards sink the Pirates 11–6. Solly Hemus scores five runs for the Birds, as Joe Presko beats Bob Friend. » May 2, 1954: At Chicago, the Cubs and Pirates split. Chicago's Paul Minner outguns Vern Law in the opener, 5–3, and the Pirates outhit Chicago to win the nitecap, 18–10 in eight innings. Frank Thomas has seven straight hits on the afternoon for Pittsburgh, before fanning. Hank Sauer hits three homers for Chicago, two in the nitecap, when he goes 4-for-4: Hammerin' Hank will belt 13 homers this year against the Pirates—a major-league record (set by Jimmie Foxx and since tied by Joe Adcock, in 1956) for home runs against one team. Bob Skinner has three hits to drive in five runs for the Bucs in game 2, as they score 15 runs in the first four innings. Winning pitcher Bob Friend also drives in three runs to win his first of the year. With homers in both games today, the Cubs set an National League mark of 13 straight games in which they've homered since the start of the season. » May 24, 1955: After losing 11 straight games, the Pirates rout the Dodgers 15–1, their highest score in 172 games. Tomorrow they will sink to the cellar. Bob Friend, who pitches the last four 1/3 innings in relief of starter Vern Law, is the winner. Preston Ward has a single, triple and home run to pace the Corsairs. » May 20, 1956: The Pirates draw their biggest crowd in five years—32,326—and sweep a pair from the Braves, 6–5 and 5–0. Dale Long hits a homer in each game and drives in seven runs. Bob Friend wins the opener and Ron Kline fires the six hitter in the nitecap. » May 28, 1956: Dale Long of the Pirates connects against the Dodgers Carl Erskine at Forbes Field for his 8th home run in eight games, a record that will stand until the Yankees Don Mattingly equals it in 1987. Pittsburgh wins, 3–2, behind Bob Friend's 2-hitter. » September 29, 1957: With 1895 manager Jack Doyle among the 11,606 looking on, the Giants lose their last game at the Polo Grounds 9-1. Pirate P Bob Friend defeats Johnny Antonelli. » May 11, 1958: In the Phils 10–4 loss in the lidlifter with Pittsburgh, Phils OF Richie Ashburn pulls a muscle. He sits out the 2nd game, ending his consecutive game streak at 473. Bob Friend wins the opener, overcoming back-to-back first inning home runs by Rip Repulski and Granny Hamner. In game 2, American League castoff Bob Porterfield wins a brilliant pitching duel with Curt Simmons, winning 1–0 in 11 innings. » September 10, 1958: Dick Stuart clouts a 10th inning homer to give Bob Friend his 20th win of the year as the Pirates beat the Giants, 6–4. » April 17, 1960: Pittsburgh's Joe Gibbon makes his ML debut in the 2nd game of a twinbill with the Reds. With the Pirates down 5–0 in the 8th, the rookie comes in to mop up. Gibbon throws two scoreless innings and the Bucs score six in the 9th for a 6–5 win. Hal Smith's 3-run pinch homer and Bob Skinner's 2-out, two-run homer off reliever Ted Wieand makes Gibbon the winner. The Bucs win the opener, 5–0, behind Bob Friend's 4-hitter. » July 11, 1960: One-hit shutout pitching by Bob Friend and home runs by Ernie Banks and Del Crandall pace the National League to a 5–4 win over the American League at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in the first of two All-Star Games. Friend has notched two of the NL's last three All-Star wins. » July 25, 1960: The Bucs return to first place as Bob Friend defeats the Cardinals 4–2 in St. Louis. Pittsburgh will remain atop the National League for the rest of the season. » September 5, 1960: The first-place Pirates split with the Braves, winning 9–7 before losing, 7–1. The Bucs rout Spahn in the opener scoring seven runs in the 4th after the Braves had knocked out starter Bob Friend. Bob Buhl is the winner in the nitecap, scattering seven hits. Chuck Cottier has three doubles and three RBIs to back Buhl. Haddix is the loser and gives way to Diomedes Olivo, who makes his ML debut in relief. At age 41, or thereabouts, Olivo is the oldest rookie in ML history except for Satchel Paige. The IL MVP pitches two runless innings. » September 20, 1960: First place Pittsburgh sweeps a pair from the Phillies, winning 7–1 and 3–2. The Bucs lead by six games. Bob Friend wins the opener and sets a new club record for strikeouts, beating Hendrix' mark of 176 set in 1912. » October 12, 1960: Whitey Ford preserves the Yankees hopes with a 7-hit shutout at Pittsburgh. Bob Friend is bombed again as New York coasts 12–0. Bobby Richardson's two run-scoring triples give him a World Series record of 12 RBI. » September 26, 1962: Pittsburgh's Earl Francis (9-8) gives up two hits in 10 innings in beating the Reds, 1–0. Jim Maloney matches him for nine innings. Bob Friend pitches the 11th to earn his 1st save of the year after Mazeroski and Stargell double home the winning run. Bucs vet Bill Virdon steals his 5th base to go along with his 13 caught steals, tying him for National League high with Maury Wills. » April 13, 1963: After 11 hitless at bats, Cincinnati 2B Pete Rose records his first ML hit, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend. Increased enforcement of the balk rule produces a major-league record seven in the Pirates' 12–4 trouncing at Cincinnati. Friend is called for four balks. » April 17, 1964: Before 48,736 fans the Pirates defeat the Mets 4–3 in the first game played at Shea Stadium. Bob Friend is the winner over Cuban righty Ed Bauta. Friend was also the winning pitcher in the last game ever played at the Polo Grounds before the Giants moved west. » December 10, 1965: The Pirates trade long-time Buc P Bob Friend to the Yankees for P Pete Mikkelson and cash. » April 19, 1979: Starter Vide Blue allows ten runs against the San Diego Padres but is still the winning pitcher in the 14-10 game. Nine of the runs are earned. It is the most runs allowed in a win since Bob Friend allowed 10 runs, all earned, in 1954. » May 21, 2000: The Giants score 11 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 16-10 win over the Brewers. OF Terrell Lowery collects five hits for SF, including three doubles. Starter Russ Ortiz is the winner, allowing 10 earned runs, the most earned runs in a win since Bob Friend, in 1954. The last pitcher to notch a win and give up 10 runs—9 earned—was Vida Blue against the Padres on April 19, 1979. The Giants are the second team to score 11 runs in an inning this year. Earlier this season, the White Sox dropped 11 runs against the Seattle Mariners in one inning.