What years did Nelson Briles play?

Nelson Briles played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1978.

Was Nelson Briles a pitcher?

Yes. Nelson Briles pitched in the major leagues, recording 129 wins and 1163 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Nelson Briles hit?

Nelson Briles hit 3 career home runs with 72 hits.

What teams did Nelson Briles play for?

Nelson Briles played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1965–1970), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–1973), the Kansas City Royals (1974–1975), the Texas Rangers (1976–1977), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977–1978).

What were Nelson Briles's career stats?

In 452 games, Nelson Briles went 129-112 with a 3.44 ERA, 1,163 strikeouts, 2,111.2 innings pitched, and 22 saves. At the plate he had 72 hits and 3 home runs.

What position did Nelson Briles play?

Nelson Briles played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Nelson Briles and how much did he weigh?

Nelson Briles was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 195 pounds.

What was Nelson Briles's career ERA?

Nelson Briles finished with a 3.44 career ERA, going 129-112 with 1,163 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Nelson Briles have?

Nelson Briles recorded 1,163 career strikeouts.

Is Nelson Briles in the Hall of Fame?

No. Nelson Briles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Nelson Briles

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1978)

Nelson Briles was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1978 for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 14 seasons. Across 452 career appearances, he went 129-112 with a 3.44 ERA, 1,163 strikeouts, and 22 saves. He also batted .154 with 3 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5242.6.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 15, 2026

W–L 129–112

ERA 3.44

WHIP 1.27

SO 1,163

Pitcher PIV 5242.6

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'11" / 195 lb
Born: 8/5/1943 in Dorris, CA, USA
Died: 2/13/2005 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1965-04-19
Last Game: 1978-09-13

Full name: Nelson Kelley Briles

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Career Pitching Statistics

Nelson Briles — 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	2111.2	2,141	807	186	547	1,163	3.44	5242.6

Career ERA 3.44 vs. league average 3.57 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Nelson Briles Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1965	SLN	NL	3	3	37	2	0	0	4	82.1	79	32	26	52	3.50	3.50 (avg)	936.1
1966	SLN	NL	4	15	49	17	0	0	6	154.0	162	55	54	100	3.21	3.52 (+9%)	-406.0
1967	SLN	NL	14	5	49	14	4	2	6	155.1	139	42	40	94	2.43	3.30 (+26%)	1747.6
1968	SLN	NL	19	11	33	33	13	4	0	243.2	251	76	55	141	2.81	2.98 (+6%)	195.7
1969	SLN	NL	15	13	36	33	10	3	0	227.2	218	89	63	126	3.52	3.61 (+3%)	2287.4
1970	SLN	NL	6	7	30	19	1	1	0	106.2	129	74	36	59	6.24	3.89 (-61%)	-1123.4
1971	PIT	NL	8	4	37	14	4	2	1	136.0	131	46	35	76	3.04	3.47 (+12%)	524.0
1972	PIT	NL	14	11	28	27	9	2	0	195.2	185	67	43	120	3.08	3.26 (+6%)	2477.1
1973	PIT	NL	14	13	33	33	7	1	0	218.2	201	69	51	94	2.84	3.75 (+24%)	1126.1
1974	KCA	AL	5	7	18	17	3	0	0	103.0	118	46	21	41	4.02	3.63 (-11%)	103.6
1975	KCA	AL	6	6	24	16	3	0	2	112.0	127	53	25	73	4.26	3.71 (-15%)	-1628.9
1976	TEX	AL	11	9	32	31	7	1	1	210.0	224	76	47	98	3.26	3.51 (+7%)	342.5
1977	TEX	AL	6	4	28	15	2	1	1	108.1	114	51	30	57	4.24	4.00 (-6%)	-661.2
1977	BAL	AL	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	4.0	5	3	0	2	6.75	—	0.0
1978	BAL	AL	4	4	16	8	1	0	0	54.1	58	28	21	30	4.64	3.69 (-26%)	-678.0
Career · 15 seasons			129	112	452	279	64	17	22	2,111.2	2,141	807	547	1,163	3.44	—	5,243

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Nelson Briles — 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	.154	.192	.200	.392	-2,055

Career AVG .154 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OBP .192 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 39.7% below league average.

Career SLG .200 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career OPS .392 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Nelson Briles Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1965	SLN	NL	37	15	0	2	0	0	0	2	1	8	.133	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	SLN	NL	49	38	2	3	0	0	0	0	2	16	.079	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	SLN	NL	49	40	5	6	0	0	0	0	3	20	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	SLN	NL	33	80	5	11	2	0	0	5	4	21	.138	.236 (-42%)	.298 (-38%)	.340 (-52%)	.638 (-45%)	-522.9
1969	SLN	NL	36	76	1	8	0	0	1	5	4	26	.105	.248 (-58%)	.320 (-53%)	.369 (-61%)	.689 (-57%)	-668.6
1970	SLN	NL	30	39	4	7	1	2	0	3	1	14	.179	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	PIT	NL	37	39	3	10	3	0	1	4	2	13	.256	—	—	—	—	0.0
1972	PIT	NL	28	70	6	11	1	0	0	4	2	32	.157	.243 (-36%)	.310 (-43%)	.353 (-52%)	.664 (-47%)	-502.4
1973	PIT	NL	33	72	3	14	2	0	1	6	2	21	.194	.256 (-24%)	.325 (-31%)	.378 (-30%)	.703 (-31%)	-361.3
1974	KCA	AL	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	KCA	AL	24	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	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	TEX	AL	28	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	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	BAL	AL	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 15 seasons			452	469	29	72	9	2	3	29	21	171	.154	—	—	—	—	-2,055

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Nelson Briles — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	11	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	.091

Playoff Batting by Year

Nelson Briles — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	H	RBI	SO	AVG
1972	NLCS	PIT	1	2	0	0	1	.000
1971	WS	PIT	1	2	1	1	1	.500
1968	WS	SLN	2	4	0	0	4	.000
1967	WS	SLN	2	3	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Nelson Briles — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	1	6	5	0	37.1	28	11	8	16	2.65

Playoff Pitching by Year

Nelson Briles — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1972	NLCS	PIT	0	0	1	1	6.0	6	2	1	3	3.00
1971	WS	PIT	1	0	1	1	9.0	2	0	2	2	0.00
1968	WS	SLN	0	1	2	2	11.1	13	7	4	7	5.56
1967	WS	SLN	1	0	2	1	11.0	7	2	1	4	1.64

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (904 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Nelson Briles — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	232	234	12	33	1	13	.141
Away	220	235	17	39	2	16	.166

Pitching — Home / Away

Nelson Briles — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	232	1132.2	1073	391	280	643	3.11
Away	220	979.0	1068	416	267	520	3.82

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Nelson Briles — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1978-09-13	BAL	MIL	—	1.1	4	2	2	1	1	1
1978-09-08	BAL	TOR	W	4.1	3	2	2	0	2	1
1978-08-27	BAL	SEA	W	2.1	1	0	0	0	1	0
1978-08-16	BAL	SEA	—	3.1	3	1	1	2	1	0
1978-07-05	BAL	TOR	—	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1978-07-01	BAL	BOS	W	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1978-06-27	BAL	TOR	—	1.2	6	6	6	2	1	1
1978-06-15	BAL	LAA	—	2.0	2	0	0	2	1	0
1978-05-30	BAL	DET	L	3.1	8	3	3	0	1	0
1978-05-26	BAL	CLE	—	4.2	7	3	3	1	2	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Nelson Briles — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	452	279	131	263	14	17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Nelson Briles — 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	TEX	P	28	15	3	13	0	1
1977	BAL	P	2	0	0	0	0	0
1978	BAL	P	16	8	2	4	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Nelson Briles Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	452

College History

Nelson Briles — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Santa Clara University	Santa Clara	CA	1963

Award Voting History

Nelson Briles — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Nelson Briles (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Nelson Briles: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 19, 1965 and the final game on September 13, 1978, Nelson Briles built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1965 to 1970), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971 to 1973), the Kansas City Royals (1974 through 1975), the Texas Rangers (1976 through 1977), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977 to 1978). Born on August 5, 1943, in Dorris, CA, USA, Briles is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Briles's listed size is 5'11" and 195 pounds. The bio records the death on February 13, 2005, in Orlando, FL, USA. On the record, Nelson Briles was born Nelson Kelley Briles.

Across 452 games (279 starts), Briles recorded 129 wins against 112 losses with a 3.44 ERA. The totals include 1,163 strikeouts, 64 complete games, 17 shutouts, and 22 saves. Briles's 3.44 ERA was close to the 3.57 league figure for those seasons. 1968 brought Briles a season-high 19 wins.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson Briles

What years did Nelson Briles play?: Nelson Briles played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1978.
Was Nelson Briles a pitcher?: Yes. Nelson Briles pitched in the major leagues, recording 129 wins and 1163 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Nelson Briles hit?: Nelson Briles hit 3 career home runs with 72 hits.
What teams did Nelson Briles play for?: Nelson Briles played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1965–1970), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–1973), the Kansas City Royals (1974–1975), the Texas Rangers (1976–1977), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977–1978).
What were Nelson Briles's career stats?: In 452 games, Nelson Briles went 129-112 with a 3.44 ERA, 1,163 strikeouts, 2,111.2 innings pitched, and 22 saves. At the plate he had 72 hits and 3 home runs.
What position did Nelson Briles play?: Nelson Briles played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Nelson Briles and how much did he weigh?: Nelson Briles was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 195 pounds.
What was Nelson Briles's career ERA?: Nelson Briles finished with a 3.44 career ERA, going 129-112 with 1,163 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Nelson Briles have?: Nelson Briles recorded 1,163 career strikeouts.
Is Nelson Briles in the Hall of Fame?: No. Nelson Briles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.