Luis Tiant who was a star pitcher during the 1960’s and 1970’s turns 72 today. Maybe he is 72, I always thought he was older than his given age. Tiant was born and grew up in Cuba. He followed the footsteps of his father Luis Tiant Sr. who was a great pitcher in the Negro Leagues and in Cuba. Sadly, the junior Tiant was in the United States when the Bay of Pigs invasion took place. He would not see his family for 14 years.
Tiant pitched for 6 ballclubs from 1964 until 1982. His best years were in the 1970’s with the Boston Red Sox. He was an entertaining pitcher. His pitching motion was unique. He would twist his back to where it was facing the plate,the hitter could see his uniform number, his face would be facing the opposite direction then he would wheel around and pitch. Tiant would win 229 games in his career. He was a 20 game winner 4 times during his career. He was a 3 time All-Star. Many believe that he should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Concerning his age- a great quote from Tony Perez. Perez said “When I was growing up in Cuba Tiant was a national hero. Now I am 36 and he is 37”
An outstanding documentary was made about Tiant “The Lost Son of Havana”
below a link showing Luis Tiant’s unique pitching motion.
slicethelife 