Robert Bartmess Friend (November 24, 1930 – February 3, 2019) was an American professional baseball player.

He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between 1951 and 1966, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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.

However, a high school shoulder injury led him to focus on baseball, and he signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Friend attended Purdue during baseball off-seasons for eight years, eventually earning a bachelor's degree in economics in 1957, and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

He was then promoted to the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A American Association, where he finished the year with a 2–4 record.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Branch Rickey was anxious to develop young players quickly, and moved Friend onto the major league roster at the beginning of 1951.

In 1951, Friend joined the Pirates to begin the season, making his first appearance on June 28 in relief, allowing two hits over two innings of scoreless work in an eventual 4–2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

He opened the year with a shutout, striking out six Reds en route to a five-hit, 3–0 victory.

On June 15, he earned his second win of the seasons, striking out six Milwaukee Braves in a complete game, 10-inning five-hitter, a 3–2 victory.

He defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4–0 in the back half of a doubleheader on September 14, allowing no walks and five hits while striking out five.

In his next start, he earned a 1–0 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers by allowing six hits and no walks, whiffing three batters on September 19.

Also this season, he earned his degree from Purdue University in Economics, a result of him having attended the school during the off-season for eight years.

He earned his first win of the season on May 28 (against seven losses) by shutting out the Braves 3–0, striking out five and allowing four hits and two walks.

In 1960, Friend made the All-Star roster for the third time, leading the NL with 4.1 strikeouts per walk issued.

Of his NL third-best four shutouts, his best was probably on April 28, when he struck out 11 and allowed just four hits in a 3–0 win over the Phillies.

Friend led the NL in losses for the second time in 1961, going 14–19 with a 3.85 ERA (his win total ranked him 10th in the league).

On opening day, April 10, he tossed a 6–0 shutout against the Phillies, allowing a walk with five hits while striking out five.

As in eight of the prior nine seasons, he ranked in the NL top ten in batters faced and in innings pitched.

Pittsburgh closed out Friend's stay with a strong 90–72 campaign, seven games back of the Dodgers.

Friend played one more major league season, splitting the year between the two New York clubs.

Friend died unexpectedly at his home in O'Hara Township, outside of Pittsburgh, on February 3, 2019, from cardiac arrest at the age of 88.