Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Nelson Briles died at a golf tournament in Orlando on Sunday at the age of 61. Briles played 14 seasons in the majors, but his best years were with the Cardinals. In 1967 he helped the Cardinals to the World Series by going 14-5. Briles pitched Game 3 of that series and beat the Red Sox 5-2. In 1968 he finished 19-11 and was a major part of St. Louis’ second-straight National League pennant. After six seasons in St. Louis, Briles became a Pittsburgh Pirate in 1971 and won the World Series there, winning Game 5 of the seven-game series. He also spent the 1974 season in Kansas City. Briles had a couple of stints announcing with the Pirates and Mariners after his retirement in 1979. Briles joined the Pirates front office in 1986 and was the team’s corporate vice president at the time of his death.
