It is called the hall of fame. When I was growing up there were few pitchers more famous than Luis Tiant. El Tiante passed away today at age 83.
The hands held high over his head, the shimmy after shimmy as he brought them down. the complete body turn toward centerfield, the turn back and delivery. Every aspiring young pitcher tried it. He was such a joy to behold.
It wasn’t just that Tiant looked good, He won 229 games from age 23 in 1964 with Cleveland through age 41 with the Angels in 1982. His best seasons were brilliant, even before his famous stint with the Red Sox.
In 1968 he led the American League with 1.60 ERA, going 21-9 for Cleveland with an 0.871 WHIP. His 8.5 WAR was tops in the league.
His ERA and WHIP were also better than Unanimous Cy Young winner Denny McLain’s but the time lent itself to McLain’s 31-6 record for the pennant winning Detroit Tigers.
Certainly a Cy Young would have helped his Hall of fame cause. Tiant got hurt the next season and lost 20 games. Cleveland gave up on him in 1969 and so did Minnesota the next season. After a 1-7 injury filled 1971 the Red Sox probably thought the same.
Good thing they didn’t. Tiant’s next seven seasons in Boston produced these numbers from age 31-37: He went 121-74, with a 3.30 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with his home games at Fenway Park, the league’s toughest to pitch in. An ERA+ 0f 121.
In the 1975 post season, he went the distance in winning his ALCS start without allowing an earned run. He went 2-0 as Boston went down in 7 in that classic world series against Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine.
His career ERA+ at 114 while not near the top is still in the same hood as Hall of Famers, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro and Jim Bunning at 115+, Catfish Hunter finished at 104+.
These numbers will never measure up in the future the way pitchers are used now. Teams know fresh arms are better than starters forced to go a 3rd time through a batting order. Tiant pitched 311 innings one season and tossed 249 or more six times.
He was a Hall of Fame talent. Famous beyond his statistics. Rest in peace Luis Clemente Tiant.
