Luis Tiant, the Cuban-born ace with a unique delivery, who twice led the American League in ERA and threw a shutout for the Boston Red Sox in the 1975 World Series, has died, according to the Red Sox. He was 83 years old.
El Tiante, as he was known, was an icon in Cuba long before he made a name for himself in the Major Leagues, and he ranks among the game’s most accomplished pitchers not elected to the Hall of Fame. With a signature windup that had him turn his back to the batter, Tiant overcame injuries to record 49 career shutouts, 229 wins and 2,416 strikeouts.
“When the chips are on the line,” Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer once said, “Luis Tiant is the greatest competitor I’ve ever seen.”
Tiant was the son of the great Negro Leagues and Cuban Leagues pitcher Luis Tiant Sr., and he made a name of himself in Cuba and Mexico before signing with the Cleveland Indians in 1961. Upon joining the big league club in 1964, Tiant was an instant success, becoming an Indians mainstay and leading the league in ERA in 1968, which stands as one of the great pitching seasons of all-time. Only three pitchers since have allowed fewer hits per nine innings.
Injuries, though, threatened to derail Tiant’s career in his late 20s. Traded in 1969 and subsequently released in 1971, he latched on with the Red Sox for what would be a defining second chapter. In 1972, he again led the American League in ERA, and he made his second and third All-Star teams in 1974 and 1976. In between, he helped the Red Sox win the American League pennant in 1975, winning Game 1 of the ALCS and pitching two complete games against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Facing the iconic Big Red Machine, Tiant threw a shutout in Game 1, and the Red Sox won each of his three World Series starts, including his less-dominant Game 6 that ended with Carlton’s Fisk’s iconic wave-it-fair home run.
In eight seasons with the Red Sox, Tiant won 20 games three times. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and had remained a regular presence around the team, especially in spring training where he would dutifully ride a golf cart from field to field each morning.
Tiant was on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years but never generated more than 30.9 percent of the vote. Still, he remained a legendary pitcher from Cuba to New England.
“When I was a boy growing up in Cuba,” Hall of Famer Tony Pérez once said, “Luis Tiant was a national hero.”
(Top photo of Luis Tiant during his time with the Red Sox: MLB via Getty Images)
