Bob Friend

Robert Bartmess Friend (November 24, 1930 – February 3, 2019) was an American professional baseball player who pitched right-handed in Major League Baseball between 1951 and 1966, most notably for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Friend grew up in nearby West Lafayette. His father was an orchestra leader, and Friend studied piano seriously until age sixteen, around the time of his father's death. At West Lafayette High School he was an all-state football halfback and an all-state pitcher, and also played basketball and golf.

A four-time All-Star, Friend was an integral member of the Pirates team that defeated the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. He was the first man to lead the league in earned run average while pitching for a last-place team. In his final season, 1966, he played for the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. As of 2019, he still held Pirates records for career innings pitched and strikeouts.

Friend was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, and was later enrolled in the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023.