Nelson Briles, baseball player, 1965-1978

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

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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

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

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1965 STL NL 3 3 37 2 0 0 4 82.3 79 32 26 52 3.50 3.50 (avg) -
1966 STL NL 4 15 49 17 0 0 6 154.0 162 55 54 100 3.21 3.52 (+9%) -
1967 STL NL 14 5 49 14 4 2 6 155.3 139 42 40 94 2.43 3.30 (+26%) -
1968 STL NL 19 11 33 33 13 4 0 243.7 251 76 55 141 2.81 2.98 (+6%) -
1969 STL NL 15 13 36 33 10 3 0 227.7 218 89 63 126 3.52 3.61 (+3%) -
1970 STL NL 6 7 30 19 1 1 0 106.7 129 74 36 59 6.24 3.89 (-61%) -
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 0 195.7 185 67 43 120 3.08 3.26 (+6%) 2477.1
1973 PIT NL 14 13 33 33 7 1 0 218.7 201 69 51 94 2.84 3.75 (+24%) 1126.1
1974 KCR AL 5 7 18 17 3 0 0 103.0 118 46 21 41 4.02 3.63 (-11%) -
1975 KCR AL 6 6 24 16 3 0 2 112.0 127 53 25 73 4.26 3.71 (-15%) -
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 1 108.3 114 51 30 57 4.24 4.00 (-6%) -676.0
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 54.3 58 28 21 30 4.64 3.69 (-26%) -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

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 0.392 vs. league average 0.689 across their career seasons — 43.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS 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 .236 (-42%) .298 (-38%) .340 (-52%) .638 (-45%) -554.8
1969 STL NL 36 76 1 8 0 0 1 5 0 4 26 0.105 .248 (-58%) .320 (-53%) .369 (-61%) .689 (-57%) -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 .243 (-36%) .310 (-43%) .353 (-52%) .664 (-47%) -528.4
1973 PIT NL 33 72 3 14 2 0 1 6 0 2 21 0.194 .256 (-24%) .325 (-31%) .378 (-30%) .703 (-31%) -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 TEX AL 28 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
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 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 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