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Born and raised in Cuba, Luis Tiant pitched professionally in his homeland and in Mexico before reaching the United States. Signed by the Indians in 1961 at the height of US-Cuban tensions, the 21-year couldn’t possibly envision what lay ahead.

Because of the political conflict, Tiant did not see his parents for the next 14 years. Alone he navigated the adjustment of facing the world’s best hitters in a band new country and culture.

Tiant was his own man. On the field he played with passion; off it it he lived with flair. Tiant had six different pitches, all thrown from different arm angles. It’s been said he never had the same windup twice.

Tiant went 45-35 with a 2.99 ERA in his first four years with the Indians. Then in 1968 he had his finest season.

In the Year of the Pitcher many remember 31-game winner Denny McLain. Some forget that the 21-game winner Tiant had the league’s lowest ERA at 1.60.

In ’69 El Tiante fought injuries and led the league with 20 losses. He gave up more walks and homers than any other AL hurler. The Indians sent him packing to Minnesota is December of 1969.

Tiant signed the contract with the Autographed Ball Company on just 19 appearances and ten wins into his big league career. The then-Indians hurler agreed to have his signature appear on souvenir baseballs with stamped autographs. For this, Tiant received one cent per ball sold.

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Luis Tiant won 229 games during his career. That included four 20-win seasons.

His finest season came in 1968 when he went 21-9 with a 1.60 ERA. After a dismal 20-loss season in ’69, Tiant’s 1970 campaign ended early when he fractured his right scapula. The Twins released during spring training in 1971. Atlanta quickly signed him but released him a month later.

In May the Red Sox signed Tiant believing he would rebound. His first year in Boston, the right-hander went 1-7 with a 4.85 ERA. Then he started a five-year run of greatness.

In 1972 Tiant won 15 games and posted a league-best 1.91 ERA, his second sub-2.00 season. The next four years he averaged 20 wins, making two all star teams and helping the Sox to the ’75 World Series.

After the ’78 season, Tiant left the Red Sox. In his final four seasons he played for 3 teams and went 25-24 with a 4.36 ERA.

Shown here are six autographed Topps cards from throughout Luis Tiant’s career. Featured are cards from 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1981, and 1983.

Interestingly Tiant is pictured here with the Indians, Twins, Yankees, and Angels, but not the team that inducted him into their Hall of Fame — the Boston Red Sox.

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Luis Tiant is at the center of a Hall of Fame debate. Do his four 20-wins seasons, two sub-2.00 ERA years, and 229 wins make him worthy of Cooperstown?

After 15 years of consideration by the baseball writers and three more by the Veterans Committee as of 2021, the answer so far is no.

Tiant is honored in other prestigious baseball shrines. The Cuban is in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum, the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals.

Shown here is an autographed 1983 Super Veterans card of Luis Tiant. It shows him as a youngster with the Cleveland Indians in the early 60s and as a grizzled veteran in 1983 with the Angles.

Tiant pitched for the Indians for six seasons highlighted by the 1968 season. In the Year of the Pitcher Tiant went 21-9 with a 1.60 ERA.

His time with the Angels late in his career was less positive. In his lone season with the club in 1982 he appeared in six games, going 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA.