Roberto Clemente vs Bob Friend: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente and Bob Friend played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Roberto Clemente played 1955–1972 as a hitter; Bob Friend played 1951–1966 as a pitcher.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Bob Friend (1951–1966) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Bob Friend pitched, totalling 197 wins and 1,734 strikeouts; Roberto Clemente hit, totalling 3,000 hits and 240 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bob Friend, with 45,735 career PIV to Roberto Clemente's 34,131.
- Who won more championships? Roberto Clemente, with 2 World Series titles to Bob Friend's 1.
Roberto Clemente
Bob Friend
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Bob Friend is shown on pitching lines and Roberto Clemente on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Roberto Clemente — Hitter
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente |
|---|---|
| Games | 2,433 |
| At-Bats | 9,454 |
| Runs | 1,416 |
| Hits | 3,000 |
| Doubles | 440 |
| Triples | 166 |
| Home Runs | 240 |
| RBI | 1,305 |
| Walks | 621 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 |
| Stolen Bases | 83 |
| Batting Avg | .317 |
| On-Base % | .359 |
| Slugging % | .475 |
| OPS | .834 |
Bob Friend — Pitcher
| Statistic | Bob Friend |
|---|---|
| Wins | 197 |
| Losses | 230 |
| Games | 602 |
| Games Started | 497 |
| Complete Games | 163 |
| Shutouts | 36 |
| Saves | 11 |
| Strikeouts | 1,734 |
| Walks | 894 |
| Hits Allowed | 3,772 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 286 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,611.0 |
| ERA | 3.58 |
| WHIP | 1.29 |
| K/9 | 4.32 |
| BB/9 | 2.23 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Roberto Clemente carries a career batting PIV of 34,131; Bob Friend carries a career pitching PIV of 45,735. Bob Friend is the higher of the two at 45,735 to 34,131. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Roberto Clemente — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bob Friend — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Bob Friend and Roberto Clemente: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Bob Friend grades higher, 45,735 to 34,131. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roberto Clemente and Bob Friend careers compare
The careers of Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Bob Friend (1951–1966) overlapped from 1955 to 1966, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Roberto Clemente's batting card reads 3,000 hits, 240 home runs and a .317 average. As a pitcher, Bob Friend went 197-230 with a 3.58 ERA and 1,734 strikeouts. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, .963 OPS in 1970 for Roberto Clemente and 2.34 ERA in 1963 for Bob Friend.
Roberto Clemente vs Bob Friend: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Bob Friend, with 45,735 career PIV to Roberto Clemente's 34,131.
- Who won more championships?
- Roberto Clemente, with 2 World Series titles to Bob Friend's 1.
- How do Roberto Clemente and Bob Friend compare?
- Roberto Clemente played 1955–1972 and Bob Friend played 1951–1966; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.