Luis Clemente Tiant was born in Marianao, Cuba on November 23, 1940 the son of Luis and Isabel and passed away on October 8, 2024 at the age of 83. His father, Luis Eleuterio Tiant, was a legendary left-handed pitcher who starred in the Cuban Leagues and the American Negro Leagues for 20 years but the color barrier denied Luis E. the opportunity to play in the majors.
The colorful Luis Tiant played in the major leagues for 19 years between 1964 and 1982 for the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the California Angels. Tiant also played in Mexico for several seasons before and after his pro career in the states.
In his big league career Tiant had a 229-172 record with 20 or more wins four times and 20 losses once. He had his share of injuries but he started 484 games and pitched over 3,486 innings, threw 187 complete games with 49 shutouts and in his spare times he earned 15 Saves.
Tiant’s time in Minnesota was relatively short. After posting a 9-20 record with a 3.71 ERA and giving up a league-leading 37 home runs in 1969 with Cleveland, Tiant was traded to the Minnesota Twins in December of 1969 along with Stan Williams in a six-player deal that sent Dean Chance, Graig Nettles, Bob Miller and Ted Uhlaender to the Indians. He joined a good Twins team and owner Calvin Griffith paid a hefty price to get him, sending former 20-game winner Dean Chance, future third baseman extraordinaire Graig Nettles, plus reliever, Bob Miller, and outfielder, Ted Uhlaender, to Cleveland for Tiant and reliever, Stan Williams. That was a steep price to pay for essentially one key player, especially one coming off a 20-loss season.
“My arm was weak at the start of the (1970) season when I hadn’t pitched winter ball. I got heavy, too.” Tiant said at the time. Tiant won 7 of 10 decisions for the Twins in 1970 and had a .340 ERA, but it was a frustrating year. He missed June and July with a broken bone in his shoulder, suffered during a win over Milwaukee on May 28. He came back but without the same effectiveness he’d shown earlier in the season, and he was not given a start in the AL Division Series against Baltimore.
Tiant’s troubles in Minnesota weren’t over yet. He was bothered by a sore arm during the rigorous spring training in 1971, which hampered his performance and raised concerns about his future with the team. As a result, the Twins made the difficult decision to release him. On that fateful day, the team cut Tiant and fellow pitcher Dave Boswell, who, despite their impressive contributions in the past—having combined for a remarkable 41 wins in 1969—were deemed no longer effective. “I tried to make a deal for both of them but couldn’t,” said Twins president Cal Griffith, reflecting on the challenging circumstances that led to their departure. This move not only signaled a shift for the team but also highlighted the harsh realities of professional sports, where past successes could quickly be overshadowed by injury and declining performance.
Tiant, meanwhile, signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves but was released when it became clear the team didn’t need him at the major-league level. He then signed with Boston, pitched at Triple-A for a little while and was given a chance in the majors in June. Tiant struggled in Boston for the rest of 1971 but in in 1972 he turned things around and went on to win 15 games with an ERA of 1.91. He went on to pitch eight seasons for the Red Sox and won 122 games. Tiant pitched for the Yankees in 1979-1980, he Pirates in 1981 and the California Angels in 1982. He returned to the Mexican League for one last season in 1983 before retiring.
After baseball, Tiant returned to the Yankees as a scout and a minor-league pitching coach. He still wanted to pitch, so it’s unsurprising that he joined the Senior League when it opened in Florida in the late 1980s. After spending a little time outside of baseball, he became a pitching coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league system and the head baseball coach at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In more recent years, he worked for the Red Sox in various front office capacities.
In my opinion Luis Tiant was a charismatic major league pitcher that had a good enough career that he is deserving of being in the Hall of Fame. He didn’t make it in his lifetime, but hopefully he will still get there, he deserves it. Luis Tiant is survived by his wife, Maria; three children, Luis Jr., Isabel and Daniel; and a number of grandchildren.
RIP Luis Tiant and thank you for the memories. We at Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Tiant family, friends and fans.
As always, ripbaseball.com has done an amazing job on the obituary for Luis Tiant that you can read here.