Luis Tiant Dies at Age 83; Pitched for Red Sox, Yankees, More in 19-Year MLB Career

Former MLB pitcher Luis Tiant died at age 83, the league announced Tuesday.

Tiant played 19 seasons in the major leagues and pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels.

Tiant made his major league debut with Cleveland in 1964 and spent six years with the franchise, leading the American League with a 1.60 ERA and earning his first All-Star selection in 1968. That year will go down as one of the best pitching seasons in MLB history, as the Cuban-born star also went 21-9 with nine shutouts and a major league record .168 opponents' batting average.

After spending a year in Minnesota, Tiant joined Boston and remained with the team for the next eight years, establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in franchise history. He led the AL once again in 1972 with a 1.91 ERA and earned two more All-Star appearances in 1974 and 1976.

In 1975, Tiant started the opening game of the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Despite facing the famed Big Red Machine led by Pete Rose, he pitched a five-hit shutout to get the Red Sox started in the right direction. He also pitched a complete game in a Game 4 win and had a no-decision in a memorable Game 6 that is regarded as one of the greatest games ever played. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost the World Series in seven games.

Following his departure from the Red Sox, Tiant spent two years with the Yankees and one apiece with the Pirates and Angels.

Tiant was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. He had a second autobiography published in 2019 titled Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back, describing the 15 years he spent separated from his family held captive in Cuba and his journey to MLB.