Nellie Briles

While we have the Encyclopedia open, let's look up Nellie Briles, who died Sunday.

It was his performance in Game 5 of the [1971] Fall Classic for which he will always be remembered. The Bucs had just won Games 3 and 4 to pull even with the Orioles in the series and manager Danny Murtaugh called on Briles to send them back to Baltimore with the lead. The 28-year-old pitcher did not disappoint, as he completely dominated the Birds, two-hitting them in the 4-0 win. The one memory from every Pirate fan who recalls the game is the scene of Nellie falling on his face off the mound after several pitches. This was a constant thing throughout his career, as Briles would throw hard and end up on the ground. . . .

He had other talents.

As his pitching career was budding, so was his new career as a singer. Nellie played several nightclubs and got to the point where he was starring in shows with such actresses as Kaye Ballard in Chicago. Nellie was so accomplished that he was invited to sing the National Anthem before Game 4 of the 1973 World Series.