Luis Tiant

Luis Tiant
Tiant with the Boston Red Sox in 1976
Pitcher
Born: (1940-11-23)November 23, 1940
Marianao, Cuba
Died: October 8, 2024(2024-10-08) (aged 83)
Wells, Maine, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 19, 1964, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
September 4, 1982, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record229–172
Earned run average3.30
Strikeouts2,416
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Venezuelan
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2009

Luis Clemente Tiant Vega (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis ˈtjant]) (November 23, 1940 – October 8, 2024), nicknamed El Tiante, was a Cuban Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched in MLB for 19 years, primarily for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox.

Tiant compiled a 229–172 record with 2416 strikeouts, a 3.30 earned run average (ERA), 187 complete games, and 49 shutouts in 3486+13 innings. He was an All-Star for three seasons and 20-game winner for four seasons. He was the American League (AL) ERA leader in 1968 and 1972. He also was the AL leader in strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 1967 and the AL leader in shutouts in 1966, 1968, and 1974.

Tiant was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2002, the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2012. He was considered for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame via voting of the Baseball Writers' Association of America from 1988 to 2002, and by the Hall of Fame's era committees in 2011, 2014, and 2017, falling short of the required votes for induction each time.