Nelson Briles
Born: 8/5/1943 in Dorris, CA, USA
Died: 2/13/2005 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1965-04-19 | Final Game: 1978-09-13
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 195 lbs
Full name: Nelson Kelley Briles
Biography
Nelson Briles was a talented pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1978. Born in 1943, Briles established himself as a reliable arm during his career, finishing with a record of 129-112 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.44. Over his 13 seasons in the big leagues, he accumulated 1,163 strikeouts and recorded 22 saves, showcasing his ability to control the game both as a starter and a reliever.
Briles played during a transformative period in baseball, navigating the shifts from the deadball era to a time when power hitting began to dominate the game. His consistent performance earned him respect among his peers, and he was particularly noted for his poise on the mound and his capacity to pitch in high-pressure situations. Throughout his career, he contributed significantly to the teams he was a part of, exemplifying the qualities of a durable and skilled pitcher in the ever-evolving landscape of Major League Baseball.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 129 | 112 | 452 | 279 | 64 | 17 | 22 | 2111.7 | 2141 | 807 | 186 | 547 | 1163 | 3.44 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | STL | NL | 3 | 3 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 82.3 | 79 | 32 | 26 | 52 | 3.50 | - |
| 1966 | STL | NL | 4 | 15 | 49 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 154.0 | 162 | 55 | 54 | 100 | 3.21 | - |
| 1967 | STL | NL | 14 | 5 | 49 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 155.3 | 139 | 42 | 40 | 94 | 2.43 | - |
| 1968 | STL | NL | 19 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 243.7 | 251 | 76 | 55 | 141 | 2.81 | - |
| 1969 | STL | NL | 15 | 13 | 36 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 227.7 | 218 | 89 | 63 | 126 | 3.52 | - |
| 1970 | STL | NL | 6 | 7 | 30 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 106.7 | 129 | 74 | 36 | 59 | 6.24 | - |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 8 | 4 | 37 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 136.0 | 131 | 46 | 35 | 76 | 3.04 | 524.0 |
| 1972 | PIT | NL | 14 | 11 | 28 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 195.7 | 185 | 67 | 43 | 120 | 3.08 | 2477.1 |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 14 | 13 | 33 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 218.7 | 201 | 69 | 51 | 94 | 2.84 | 1126.1 |
| 1974 | KCR | AL | 5 | 7 | 18 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 103.0 | 118 | 46 | 21 | 41 | 4.02 | - |
| 1975 | KCR | AL | 6 | 6 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 112.0 | 127 | 53 | 25 | 73 | 4.26 | - |
| 1976 | TEX | AL | 11 | 9 | 32 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 210.0 | 224 | 76 | 47 | 98 | 3.26 | 342.5 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6.75 | 0.0 |
| 1977 | TEX | AL | 6 | 4 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 108.3 | 114 | 51 | 30 | 57 | 4.24 | -676.0 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 4 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 54.3 | 58 | 28 | 21 | 30 | 4.64 | -685.5 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 452 | 469 | 29 | 72 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 21 | 171 | 0.154 | 0.192 | 0.200 | 0.392 | -2179.8 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | STL | NL | 37 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.133 | 0.0 |
| 1966 | STL | NL | 49 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0.079 | 0.0 |
| 1967 | STL | NL | 49 | 40 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.150 | 0.0 |
| 1968 | STL | NL | 33 | 80 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 0.138 | -554.8 |
| 1969 | STL | NL | 36 | 76 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0.105 | -713.2 |
| 1970 | STL | NL | 30 | 39 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.179 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 37 | 39 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.256 | 0.0 |
| 1972 | PIT | NL | 28 | 70 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 0.157 | -528.4 |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 33 | 72 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0.194 | -383.4 |
| 1974 | KCR | AL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1975 | KCR | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1976 | TEX | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1977 | TEX | AL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0.091 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NLCS | PIT | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1971 | WS | PIT | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.500 |
| 1968 | WS | SLN | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |
| 1967 | WS | SLN | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 37.3 | 28 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 2.65 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NLCS | PIT | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3.00 |
| 1971 | WS | PIT | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 1968 | WS | SLN | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.3 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5.56 |
| 1967 | WS | SLN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1.64 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 452 | 279 | 131 | 263 | 14 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | SLN | P | 37 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 | SLN | P | 49 | 17 | 9 | 29 | 1 | 3 |
| 1967 | SLN | P | 49 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| 1968 | SLN | P | 33 | 33 | 15 | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 1969 | SLN | P | 36 | 33 | 13 | 34 | 3 | 3 |
| 1970 | SLN | P | 30 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | PIT | P | 37 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1972 | PIT | P | 28 | 27 | 11 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973 | PIT | P | 33 | 33 | 14 | 35 | 1 | 3 |
| 1974 | KCA | P | 18 | 17 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | KCA | P | 24 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1976 | TEX | P | 32 | 31 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | BAL | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | TEX | P | 28 | 15 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978 | BAL | P | 16 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 452 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | CA | 1963 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 4.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 20.0 | 280 | 0 |