Pirates great Bob Friend dies at 88 - MLB

PITTSBURGH (AP) Bob Friend, who pitched more innings than anyone in Pittsburgh Pirates history, died Sunday. He was 88.

The Pirates said Friend died at his home in Pittsburgh.

Friend holds the Pirates record for innings (3,480 1/3), starts (477) and strikeouts (1,682). The right-hander was an All-Star in three different seasons – in 1960, he made the NL roster for both All-Star games played that summer, and was the starter and winner in the first one.

Friend made his big league debut with two shutout innings for the Pirates against Cincinnati as a 20-year-old on April 28, 1951. He became a fixture in Pittsburgh’s rotation through 1965 and then played one more season, splitting his last year with the New York Yankees and Mets.

Nicknamed “The Warrior” for his remarkable durability, Friend went 197-230 with a 3.58 ERA in 602 games.

In 1955, Friend became the first pitcher to lead his league in ERA, winning the NL title with a 2.83 mark. He topped the majors in innings in 1956-57 and tied Warren Spahn for the big league lead with 22 wins in 1958, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting.

In 1960, Friend was 18-12 with a 3.00 ERA in helping the Pirates reach the World Series. He was hit hard in two starts and a relief appearance, but Pittsburgh outlasted the Yankees in seven games to win the championship.

That season came during a string of 11 straight years he pitched more than 200 innings – topping 260 in six of them.

After his playing career ended, he was among the founding officers of the Pirates Alumni Association and stayed active as a board member.

Pirates President Frank Coonelly, in a statement, called Friend “truly one of the very best to ever wear the Pirates black and gold.”

Friend is survived by his wife Pat, son Bob and daughter Missy.

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PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.