Luis Tiant, the Cuban pitching great known as “El Tiante” who helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series appearance in 1975, has died, according to the Boston Globe.
He was 83.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Known for his unorthodox delivery in which he turned his back completely to home plate, Tiant was a three-time All-Star who starred for the Red Sox from 1971-78 before playing two seasons with the Yankees.
The cigar-smoking right-hander had 229 career wins with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts across 19 MLB seasons.
“Today is a very sad day. My friend and teammate, Luis Tiant, passed away,” former Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn wrote on X. “A Big game pitcher, a funny genuine guy who loved his family and baseball. I miss him already….RIP my friend.”
The son of Negro Leagues pitcher Luis Sr., Tiant began his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians in 1961 and he became a standout over his first five seasons, culminating in a 21-9 record with a 1.60 ERA in 1968.
But after going 9-20 in 1969, he was traded to the Twins, who released him after one season.
He got his career back on track in Boston, going 15-6 with a 1.91 ERA in 1972.
His run at the end of the 1975 season and into the playoffs etched his name into Red Sox lore. He had three complete-game victories, including two shutouts, while pitching to a 1.47 ERA over his final four regular-season starts.
Titant then dominated the A’s in Game 1 of the ALCS, giving up just one unearned run in a complete-game win, dazzling the Fenway Park faithful.
“He’s the Fred Astaire of baseball, dancing his way to victory,” Athletics star Reggie Jackson said of Titant at the time, per the Globe. “He had that crowd in a hoopla.”
Titant signed with the Yankees for the 1979 season and went 21-17 with a 4.31 ERA over two years in The Bronx.
He spent one season with the Pirates in 1981 before finishing his career with the Angels in ’82.
