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Nelson Kelley Briles
St. Louis Cardinals
Infield
Born: August 5, 1943, Dorris, CA
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1970; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971-1973; Kansas City Royals 1974-1975; Texas Rangers 1976-1977; Baltimore Orioles 1977-1978
World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1967-1968; Pittsburgh Pirates 1971
Died: February 13, 2005, Orlando, FL (age 61)
Nelson Briles pitched in parts of 14 major league seasons, winning World Series rings with the Cardinals in 1967 and the Pirates in 1971. Briles won at least 10 games in six different seasons, hitting his career high with 19 wins in the Year of the Pitcher, 1968. He surpassed the 200 innings pitched plateau in four different seasons, again hitting his career high in 1968 with 243 2/3 innings pitched. He appeared in five World Series games overall, going 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings pitched. He pitched a complete game shutout against the Orioles in Game 5 of the 1971 World Series, allowing only two Orioles hits. Briles had a career record of 129-112 in 452 games and a 3.44 ERA. Known for his control, he struck out 1,163 and walked only 547 in 2,111 2/3 innings pitched. Following his playing days, Briles worked as a television broadcaster for the Pirates, Mariners and for the USA Network.
Died: February 13, 2005, Orlando, FL (age 61)
Nelson Briles pitched in parts of 14 major league seasons, winning World Series rings with the Cardinals in 1967 and the Pirates in 1971. Briles won at least 10 games in six different seasons, hitting his career high with 19 wins in the Year of the Pitcher, 1968. He surpassed the 200 innings pitched plateau in four different seasons, again hitting his career high in 1968 with 243 2/3 innings pitched. He appeared in five World Series games overall, going 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings pitched. He pitched a complete game shutout against the Orioles in Game 5 of the 1971 World Series, allowing only two Orioles hits. Briles had a career record of 129-112 in 452 games and a 3.44 ERA. Known for his control, he struck out 1,163 and walked only 547 in 2,111 2/3 innings pitched. Following his playing days, Briles worked as a television broadcaster for the Pirates, Mariners and for the USA Network.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #113
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 36th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25. If I stick to composing posts five times a week, I should go through the stack and be caught up by the end of January. But as the summer begins, that's becoming a bigger If.
The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
I'm sure that's a recognizable structure behind Briles in this photo, and given he's wearing a home uniform here he's either at the Cardinals' spring training home or maybe even old Busch Stadium? A similar photo from the same session is used for his 1968 Topps card. His uniform #34 is peaking through behind his glove. The back of the card highlights his 1967 World Series victory in Game 3 against the Red Sox, and his league-leading .737 winning percentage that season. His 14-5 record bested teammate Dick Hughes (#39) who had a .727 winning percentage with his 16-6 record.
Accuracy Index: Briles' card scores a five for the accurate and previously unused photo.
1969 Season
Briles and the Cardinals came back down to reality somewhat in 1969, as he compiled a 15-13 record and a 3.52 ERA in 36 games overall, including 33 starts. The Cardinals would finish in fourth place in the National League East, 13 games behind the Mets. Briles would attribute his slow start in 1969 to the lowered pitching mound which went from 15 inches down to 10 inches given the dominance of pitching the prior season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #431
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1965-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage 1971 World Series Highlights #WSH-4
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 68 in the Beckett online database as of 6/4/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Briles and the Cardinals came back down to reality somewhat in 1969, as he compiled a 15-13 record and a 3.52 ERA in 36 games overall, including 33 starts. The Cardinals would finish in fourth place in the National League East, 13 games behind the Mets. Briles would attribute his slow start in 1969 to the lowered pitching mound which went from 15 inches down to 10 inches given the dominance of pitching the prior season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #431
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1965-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage 1971 World Series Highlights #WSH-4
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 68 in the Beckett online database as of 6/4/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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