Luis Tiant in Havana in 2016
Havana, Oct 8 (RHC) - Former Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant, one of baseball's legends, died Tuesday at the age of 83 due to complications with his deteriorating health.
Broadcaster WBZ Boston broke the sad news on social media, which was echoed by media outlets around the world.
Tiant shined for 19 seasons in the Major Leagues of the United States (MLB) and also stood out in the leagues of Mexico and Venezuela, the latter country where he was included in the Hall of Fame.
He is the Cuban pitcher with the most wins in the Major Leagues (229) and many consider him the best Cuban pitcher of all time.
Playing mostly with the Boston Red Sox, “El Tiante” had 229 MLB wins and 172 losses, struck out almost 2,500 batters (2,416), and had a 3.30 ERA.
He struck out 49 times and won more than 20 games in four seasons.
In addition, on two occasions he was the leader in clean runs in the American League.
In Venezuela he played seven seasons with Industriales de Valencia, Leones del Caracas, and Tiburones de La Guaira and in 2009 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
According to El Emergente, Tiant, born on November 23, 1940, in the Havana neighborhood of Marianao, left the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League as the absolute leader in effectiveness with 2.27.
In March 2016, Tiant and the Cuban pitcher with the most wins in National Series, Pedro Luis Lazo, made the symbolic first pitch in the historic game played at the Latin American Stadium in Havana, between the Tampa Bay Rays of the American Major League Baseball and the Cuban national team, witnessed by 55 fans, including then Presidents Raúl Castro and Barak Obama.
