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 Tiant didn't join the Red Sox until
mid-career, but he became one of the
most popular players in club
history. A balding, overweight
starter whose age was often
estimated at several years higher
that its "official" listing, Tiant
spoke with a thick Cuban accent and
would smoke cigars anywhere,
including the clubhouse whirlpool
and shower. He was a renowned
locker-room prankster, but was
serious on the mound, winning 20
games three times for Boston. He
baffled hitters with a rocking,
twisting windup and an assortment of
release points that ranged from
over-the-top to nearly underhand...Book
Luis Tiant for Your Event
Tiant was the Comeback Player of
the Year in 1972 for a contending
Boston Red Sox team. He captured
his second ERA title with a 1.91
mark and was 15-6. He followed his
20-13 mark in 1973 by going 22-13 in
1974, with an AL-leading seven
shutouts. After helping the Red Sox
to the AL pennant in 1975 with an
18-14 mark (4.02 ERA) he got real
national attention for the first
time during postseason play. He beat
the three-time World Champion A's in
the ALCS opener with a three-hitter,
giving up only one unearned run, and
followed with a five-hit shutout of
the Reds to open the
World Series. He also won Game
Four, 5-4. Tiant got a hit in each
game after batting once all season,
and his adventuresome trips from
base to base (he scored each time)
while bundled in a warm-up jacket
provided comic relief in an
otherwise tense series. His accent
("Ees great to be weeth a weiner")
and his eccentric cigar puffing made
him an immediate media favorite. He
was rocked in Game Six, but left
long before
Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning homer
ended what has been called the
greatest game ever played.
Tiant won 20 for the last time in
1976 (21-12), but he was no longer
the overpowering pitcher he once had
been. For several years he had
increasingly relied on deception,
with masterful changes of speed to
go with his wide variety of pitching
motions. He pitched less, but he
kept winning, going 12-8 and 13-8 in
his last two years with the Red Sox.
He signed with the Yankees as a free
agent before the 1979 season and
went 13-8, but was ineffective
thereafter.
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Book Luis Tiant for Your Event
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