Luis Tiant, baseball player, 1964-1982

Luis Tiant

Born: 11/23/1940 in Marianao, La Habana, Cuba

Died: 10/8/2024 in Wells, ME, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-07-19 | Final Game: 1982-09-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Luis Clemente Tiant

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Biography

Luis Tiant, born in 1940, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from July 19, 1964, until September 4, 1982. Known for his distinctive pitching style, characterized by a unique windup and exceptional control, Tiant became a formidable force on the mound. Over the course of his career, he compiled an impressive record of 229 wins and 172 losses, with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.3. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he recorded 2,416 strikeouts and added 15 saves to his tally. Tiant's contributions to the game earned him three All-Star selections, reflecting his status as one of the elite pitchers of his era. Tiant's career spanned two decades, during which he played for several teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. His time with the Red Sox was particularly significant, as he became a key player in the franchise's resurgence during the 1970s. Tiant's impact on the game extended beyond his statistics; he was part of a generation of players that brought a blend of flair and competitiveness, contributing to the rich tapestry of baseball history during a transformative period in the sport. His legacy remains influential, revered by fans and players alike for his skill and charisma on the mound.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
137.0 119.0 2.0 10.0 0 0 0 8.0 9.0 3.0 0 0.084 0.155 0.084 0.239

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
119.0 0 0 72.0 35.0 0 0 0.0 463.0 213.0 88.0 13.0 0 0 1.53

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1935 8.0 7.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 0.143 0.143 0.143 0.286
1936 10.0 7.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 0 .000 0.300 .000 0.300
1939 21.0 21.0 1.0 4.0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.190 0.190 0.190 0.380
1940 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1943 4.0 4.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 0.250 0.250 0.250 0.500
1944 15.0 13.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 .000 0.071 .000 0.071
1945 18.0 15.0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 0 1.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1946 24.0 20.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0.100 0.217 0.100 0.317
1947 36.0 31.0 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 2.0 3.0 0 0 0.065 0.147 0.065 0.212

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1935 9.0 0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 14.0 9.0 4.0 0 0 0 2.12
1936 13.0 0 0 9.0 3.0 0 0 0.0 35.0 18.0 11.0 0 0 0 1.66
1939 13.0 0 0 9.0 6.0 0 0 0.0 76.0 34.0 24.0 1.0 0 0 3.07
1943 5.0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 0.0 15.0 9.0 3.0 0 0 0 2.38
1944 16.0 0 0 13.0 6.0 0 0 0.0 71.0 30.0 14.0 3.0 0 0 1.56
1945 16.0 0 0 11.0 6.0 0 0 0.0 76.0 35.0 9.0 5.0 0 0 1.00
1946 28.0 0 0 9.0 4.0 0 0 0.0 73.0 33.0 4.0 2.0 0 0 0.43
1947 19.0 0 0 16.0 9.0 0 0 0.0 103.0 45.0 19.0 2.0 0 0 1.51

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
229 172 573 484 187 49 15 3486.3 3075 1280 346 1104 2416 3.30 0

Career ERA 3.30 vs. league average 3.63 across their career seasons — 9.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1964 CLE AL 10 4 19 16 9 3 1 127.0 94 40 47 105 2.83 3.58 (+21%) 459.2
1965 CLE AL 11 11 41 30 10 2 1 196.3 166 77 66 152 3.53 3.50 (-1%) 773.1
1966 CLE AL 12 11 46 16 7 5 8 155.0 121 48 50 145 2.79 3.52 (+21%) 1953.6
1967 CLE AL 12 9 33 29 9 1 2 213.7 177 65 67 219 2.74 3.30 (+17%) 2227.1
1968 CLE AL 21 9 34 32 19 9 0 258.3 152 46 73 264 1.60 2.98 (+46%) 6403.4
1969 CLE AL 9 20 38 37 9 1 0 249.7 229 103 129 156 3.71 3.61 (-3%) -7998.5
1970 MIN AL 7 3 18 17 2 1 0 92.7 84 35 41 50 3.40 3.89 (+13%) -1768.1
1971 BOS AL 1 7 21 10 1 0 0 72.3 73 39 32 59 4.85 3.47 (-40%) -289.1
1972 BOS AL 15 6 43 19 12 6 3 179.0 128 38 65 123 1.91 3.26 (+41%) 2976.5
1973 BOS AL 20 13 35 35 23 0 0 272.0 217 101 78 206 3.34 3.75 (+11%) 1638.2
1974 BOS AL 22 13 38 38 25 7 0 311.3 281 101 82 176 2.92 3.63 (+20%) 3926.9
1975 BOS AL 18 14 35 35 18 2 0 260.0 262 116 72 142 4.02 3.71 (-8%) 609.4
1976 BOS AL 21 12 38 38 19 3 0 279.0 274 95 64 131 3.06 3.51 (+13%) -476.8
1977 BOS AL 12 8 32 32 3 3 0 188.7 210 95 51 124 4.53 4.00 (-13%) -290.6
1978 BOS AL 13 8 32 31 12 5 0 212.3 185 78 57 114 3.31 3.69 (+10%) -1617.3
1979 NYY AL 13 8 30 30 5 1 0 195.7 190 85 53 104 3.91 4.00 (+2%) -
1980 NYY AL 8 9 25 25 3 0 0 136.3 139 74 50 84 4.89 3.84 (-27%) -
1981 PIT NL 2 5 9 9 1 0 0 57.3 54 25 19 32 3.92 3.58 (-10%) 616.5
1982 LAA AL 2 2 6 5 0 0 0 29.7 39 19 8 30 5.76 3.86 (-49%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
573 513 36 84 14 1 5 44 1 13 146 0.164 0.185 0.224 0.409 -2461.8

Career AVG .164 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 42.1% below league average.

Career SLG .224 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 40.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.409 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1964 CLE AL 19 45 3 5 0 0 1 3 0 0 13 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1965 CLE AL 41 68 2 6 0 0 1 3 0 3 30 0.088 .245 (-64%) .310 (-59%) .371 (-64%) .682 (-62%) -687.6
1966 CLE AL 46 36 0 4 0 0 0 3 0 1 12 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1967 CLE AL 33 71 9 18 3 0 1 10 0 2 23 0.254 .242 (+5%) .306 (-12%) .357 (-5%) .663 (-8%) -115.8
1968 CLE AL 34 87 4 7 1 0 0 3 0 0 14 0.080 .236 (-66%) .298 (-73%) .340 (-73%) .638 (-73%) -962.0
1969 CLE AL 38 81 8 19 2 1 2 9 0 3 22 0.235 .248 (-5%) .320 (-16%) .369 (-3%) .689 (-9%) -154.7
1970 MIN AL 18 32 7 13 4 0 0 4 1 1 6 0.406 — — — — 0.0
1971 BOS AL 21 19 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1972 BOS AL 43 56 3 6 1 0 0 4 0 2 18 0.107 .243 (-56%) .310 (-56%) .353 (-65%) .664 (-60%) -541.8
1973 BOS AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 BOS AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 BOS AL 35 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BOS AL 38 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BOS AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 BOS AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 NYY AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 NYY AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 PIT NL 9 16 0 3 2 0 0 4 0 1 3 0.188 — — — — 0.0
1982 LAA AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1975 ALCS BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1975 WS BOS 3 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.250
1970 ALCS MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 0 5 4 0 34.7 29 11 11 20 2.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1975 ALCS BOS 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 3 0 3 8 0.00
1975 WS BOS 2 0 3 3 0 25.0 25 10 8 12 3.60
1970 ALCS MIN 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 1 1 0 0 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 573 484 221 389 35 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 CLE P 19 16 3 21 1 2
1965 CLE P 41 30 17 27 1 2
1966 CLE P 46 16 9 20 4 0
1967 CLE P 33 29 13 17 4 3
1968 CLE P 34 32 15 19 1 2
1969 CLE P 38 37 22 31 4 1
1970 MIN P 18 17 3 14 1 2
1971 BOS P 21 10 5 9 1 0
1972 BOS P 43 19 7 24 1 1
1973 BOS P 35 35 17 31 1 4
1974 BOS P 38 38 22 31 4 1
1975 BOS P 35 35 16 22 4 2
1976 BOS P 38 38 12 34 4 4
1977 BOS P 32 32 16 16 0 0
1978 BOS P 32 31 14 20 0 2
1979 NYA P 30 30 13 27 2 2
1980 NYA P 25 25 13 21 2 3
1981 PIT P 9 9 3 5 0 0
1982 CAL P 6 5 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 573

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1976 Player of the Month August
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-09-24
1975 Babe Ruth Award P
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-07-12
1972 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1976 Cy Young Award AL 5th 10.0 120 0
1976 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 3.0 336 0
1974 Cy Young Award AL 4th 8.0 120 0
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 41.0 336 0
1972 Cy Young Award AL 6th 16.0 120 1
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 70.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 78.0 280 0