Dan Roche remembers Luis Tiant, a true gamer with a big heart

BOSTON — I can’t recall the first time that I met Luis Tiant. But I can tell you that I was in awe when it happened. 
“El Tiante” was second only to Yaz when it came to Red Sox players that I loved growing up. 
I spent many hours throwing a rubber coated baseball against a wall in my backyard. I simulated games and every time I’d do it, I’d end up mimicking Tiant’s unique pitching delivery. 
When he was in the stretch, Tiant would bring his hands above his head and in a slow, deliberate, rhythmic motion, he’d come to the belt. Then, while winding up, he would twist, turn and look to second base before wheeling back around and fire a strike! I was amazed how he could do it over and over again. 
Luis Tiant passed away at the age of 83 on Tuesday morning, having lived an amazing life. 
His Dad was born in Havana, Cuba. Luis Tiant Sr. was a great pitcher in Cuba and in the Negro Leagues. A hero. 
Luis Jr. — at the urging of his father — came to the United States after pitching in his native Cuba and Mexico. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1961, and didn’t get to see his family for 15 years due to U.S. and Cuba relations. He had to battle loneliness and a language barrier. 
Yet, he was able to battle and compete every time he took the mound. 
At age 27 in 1968, Tiant had one of the single greatest seasons for a pitcher. In 32 starts for Cleveland, he went 21-9 with a 1.60 ERA. He threw 19 complete games and nine shutouts, amassing 258.1 Innings pitched. He struck out 264 batters while surrendering just 152 hits and issuing 73 walks.
In Boston, we remember his Red Sox career from 1971-78. Specifically, the 1975 season when Tiant had 18 wins and 18 complete games. The Red Sox took the Big Red Machine — the Cincinnati Reds — to a seventh and deciding game in one of the greatest World Series ever. Luis was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 4, and he gutted through seven innings in Game 6 as Boston won on Carlton Fisk’s dramatic and unforgettable walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the 12th. (I watched that game while my mom was hosting a Tupperware party at our house!).
Over his 19-year MLB career with Boston, Cleveland, Minnesota, the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh and California, Tiant made 484 starts, going 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA. He won 20 or more games four times, and 10 or more thirteen times. 
Go look at the numbers of Hall of Famers Don Drysdale, Catfish Hunter and Jim Bunning. Luis Tiant belongs in Cooperstown with them. 
But his most amazing numbers? In 484 starts he had 187 complete games! 187! 
Perhaps his greatest single game was on June 14th, 1974 when he was the losing pitcher (on three days rest) in a 4-3, 15-inning loss to the Angels in California. In that game, he went toe-to-toe with Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Their two pitching lines from that game are simply unreal:
Tiant: 14.1 IP, 11H, 4R, 4ER, 4BB, 5K (he threw an estimated 220 pitches)Ryan: 13 IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, 10BB, 19K (235 pitches)
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe wrote all about that epic duel back in June, and it’s worth revisiting today. 
Off the field, Tiant was a big personality with a huge heart. He would tell wonderful stories and tease his fellow Red Sox alumni non-stop. He’d smoke his cigars, laugh, and was always there to give back. He was always doing community work and representing the Red Sox. Boston was a home to him. He was also a good family man, leaving behind his wife Maria, and his children Luis, Isabel and Daniel. 
Red Sox nation lost a great one on Tuesday. RIP Luis Tiant.