The Big Lead

Luis Tiant tributes mount after former Red Sox great's passing at age 83

By Joe Lago

Jul 20, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox former pitcher Luis Tiant throws out the first pitch prior to a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Jul 20, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox former pitcher Luis Tiant throws out the first pitch prior to a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
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Little Leaguers in the 1970s imitated the windup of one MLB pitcher more than any other — the twisting, corkscrewing delivery of Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant.

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You didn't have to be a Red Sox fan to want to be like "El Tiante." How he uncoiled on the mound before every pitch was fun to watch. How he perplexed major-league hitters was pure entertainment.

So it's no surprise to see all of the tributes pouring in Tuesday after the unfortunate news of Tiant's passing at the age of 83.

Tiant played 19 MLB seasons for six teams — Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates and Angels. The Cuban right-hander amassed a 229-172 record with a 3.30 ERA and recorded 2,416 strikeouts in 3,486 1/3 innings and 187 complete games in 484 starts.

Tiant debuted in the majors in 1964 with Cleveland, where he played six seasons and made his first All-Star team in 1968 after going 21-9 with a 1.60 ERA. However, his best stretch of success came in Boston, where he was an All-Star in 1974 and 1976.

With the Red Sox, Tiant was a 20-game winner three times in 1973, 1974 and 1976. In 1975, he went 18-14 to help Boston win the American League East and was the ace of a memorable postseason run.

In the AL Championship Series, Tiant tossed a complete-game three-hitter in a 7-1 series-opening victory against the Oakland A's. In a classic seven-game World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, he made three starts, throwing a five-hit shutout in Game 1 and a complete-game win in Game 4.

Longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan wrote on X that Tiant's Game 4 effort against the Reds was his "favorite" performance of the Red Sox great's sparkling career.

Former Red Sox teammate Fred Lynn called Tiant "a big game pitcher" who was "a funny genuine guy who loved his family and baseball."

Bill Simmons wrote on X that Tiant was "beloved in Boston" and "absolutely owned Fenway like nobody except Pedro (Martinez)."

"Every MA kid in the 70s imitated him in the backyard," Simmons added. "Just a legend."

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