# Owen Friend

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Owen_Friend.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Friend
> Source revision: 1325599696
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|American baseball player (1927–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Owen Friend
|position=[Second baseman](/source/Second_baseman)
|image=Owen Friend 1950 Bowman.jpg
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1927|3|21}}
|birth_place=[Granite City, Illinois](/source/Granite_City%2C_Illinois), U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2007|10|14|1927|3|21}}
|death_place=[Wichita, Kansas](/source/Wichita%2C_Kansas), U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=October 2
|debutyear=1949
|debutteam=St. Louis Browns
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=May 16
|finalyear=1956
|finalteam=Chicago Cubs
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[Batting average](/source/Batting_average_(baseball))
|stat1value=.227
|stat2label=[Home runs](/source/Home_runs)
|stat2value=13
|stat3label=[Runs batted in](/source/Runs_batted_in)
|stat3value=76
|teams=
*[St. Louis Browns](/source/St._Louis_Browns) (1949–1950)
*[Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) (1953)
*[Cleveland Indians](/source/Cleveland_Indians) (1953)
*[Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox) (1955)
*[Chicago Cubs](/source/Chicago_Cubs) (1955–1956)
}}
'''Owen Lacey Friend''' (March 21, 1927 – October 14, 2007) was an American [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) [second baseman](/source/second_baseman) for five different teams between [1949](/source/1949_in_baseball) and [1956](/source/1956_in_baseball). Listed at 6'1, 180 lb., Friend batted and threw [right-handed](/source/right-handed). Nicknamed "Red", he was born in [Granite City, Illinois](/source/Granite_City%2C_Illinois).
 
Strictly a line drive hitter, Friend entered the majors with the [St. Louis Browns](/source/St._Louis_Browns), playing for them two years (1949–50) before joining the [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) (1953), [Cleveland Indians](/source/Cleveland_Indians) (1953), [Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox) (1955) and [Chicago Cubs](/source/Chicago_Cubs) (1955–56). His most productive season came for the 1950 Browns, when he posted career-numbers in [games played](/source/games_played) (119), [home run](/source/home_run)s (8), [RBI](/source/run_batted_in) (50) and [runs](/source/run_(baseball)) (48), while hitting a .237 [batting average](/source/batting_average_(baseball)). In a five-season career, Friend was a .227 hitter (136–for–598) with 13 home runs and 76 RBI in 208 games, including 24 [doubles](/source/double_(baseball)), two [triples](/source/triple_(baseball)), and two [stolen base](/source/stolen_base)s. As an infielder, he made 194 appearances at second base (141), [third base](/source/third_baseman) (27) and [shortstop](/source/shortstop) (26).

Following his playing retirement, Friend [managed](/source/manager_(baseball)) in the [minors](/source/minor_league_baseball) during 11 seasons (1960–65, 1967, 1970–71, 1974–75), served as a [scout](/source/scout_(sport)) for the [Houston Astros](/source/Houston_Astros) (1966) and [Baltimore Orioles](/source/Baltimore_Orioles) (1967–68), and also joined the original [coaching](/source/coach_(baseball)) staff of the 1969 [Kansas City Royals](/source/Kansas_City_Royals). Friend wore uniform number 5 for the Royals, a number [George Brett](/source/George_Brett) would later wear and retire. Friend died in [Wichita, Kansas](/source/Wichita%2C_Kansas) at age 80.

==Sources==
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/f/frienow01.shtml Baseball Reference]
*[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfrieo101.htm Retrosheet]
*[http://www.thedeadballera.com/passings.html The Deadball Era]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Owen}}
Category:1927 births
Category:2007 deaths
Category:Baltimore Orioles scouts
Category:Billings Mustangs managers
Category:Boston Red Sox players
Category:Chicago Cubs players
Category:Cleveland Indians players
Category:Dallas Rangers players
Category:Detroit Tigers players
Category:Elmira Pioneers players
Category:Havana Sugar Kings players
Category:Houston Astros scouts
Category:Indianapolis Indians players
Category:Kansas City Royals coaches
Category:Kansas City Royals scouts
Category:Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Category:Major League Baseball second basemen
Category:Memphis Chickasaws players
Category:Muskegon Clippers players
Category:Newark Moundsmen players
Category:Sportspeople from Granite City, Illinois
Category:Baseball players from Madison County, Illinois
Category:Phoenix Giants players
Category:Raleigh Capitals players
Category:Rocky Mount Senators players
Category:St. Louis Browns players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:San Antonio Missions players
Category:Springfield Browns players
Category:Wenatchee Chiefs players
Category:American expatriate baseball players in Cuba

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Owen Friend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Friend) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Friend?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.