A former catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who helped lead the team to the 1985 World Series has died. Tom Nieto was 65. His sister made the announcement over Easter weekend on Facebook and said he died at the end of March.

“On Friday, March 27th, my brother Tom passed on after a heart attack, leaving cherished memories in Florida with his family; his strength and resilience will continue to inspire us all,” Denise Nieto-Jackson posted. 

Nieto was the backup to former all-star catcher Darrell Porter for the 1985 Cardinals. The team would go on to win the National League Championship that year, just two years after winning the World Series in 1982; the Cardinals would lose to their cross-state rivals, the Kansas City Royals, in seven games in 1985. 

Nieto spent the most time behind the plate for the Cardinals in 1985, playing in a total of 95 games. It was just his second year in the big leagues. Nieto had been drafted twice by the Minnesota Twins in 1979 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1980. In 1981, he was drafted by the Cardinals out of Oral Roberts University and signed on to begin his professional career. 

Ironically enough, Nieto would make his way to the Twins in 1987 and play a role in leading the team to its first World Series championship against the Cardinals. He would also suit up for the Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies. After his playing career, Nieto coached for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. At the minor league level, he’d managed affiliates for the Cardinals, Twins and Yankees. 

His 1985 season would turn out to be his best. In those 95 games, Nieto batted .225, collected 57 hits and 34 RBIs in 253 at-bats with 288 plate appearances.Â