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Luis Tiant, Boston Red Sox pitching legend and a beloved fan favorite, has died at the age of 83.
Major League Baseball confirmed Tiant’s death on Tuesday, though a cause of death has not been disclosed.
Tiant, nicknamed “El Tiante” and known for his signature pitching delivery, spent 19 years in the majors, eight with the Red Sox.
Tiant spent the first six years of his career in Cleveland before pitching one season in Minnesota. He joined the Red Sox in 1971.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Luis Tiant. In a Major League career that spanned 19 seasons, “El Tiante” made three All-Star teams and won 20 or more games four times. Tiant won two ERA titles in the American League – one in 1968 for Cleveland, and another in… pic.twitter.com/wVNQj9f1pc
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2024
The colorful righty won 229 games in his career, 122 with the Red Sox, and had a career earned run average of 3.30 to go along with 2,416 career strikeouts. He tossed 187 complete games and 49 shutouts, finishing with four 20-win seasons in his career.
Following his tenure with the Red Sox, Tiant pitched two years with the New York Yankees, one in Pittsburgh, and his final season with the California Angels.
Tiant, a three-time All Star, was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997. He is also a member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame. El Tiante spent 15 years on Baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot but never garnered the votes necessary for enshrinement. He was also considered on the “Golden Era” ballot but failed to get the required votes.
“I think I deserve to be in Cooperstown, but I have something to say to those who elect me. If you don’t take me in life, don’t try to elect me after I die, please,” Tiant told ESPNdeportes.com in August 2008.
ESPN’s Enrique Rojas contributed to this report.