EL TIANTE: The Luis Tiant Story

by Luis & Joe Fitzgerald Tiant ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 1976

A generally full-bodied portrait of that mustachioed Red Sox showman with the herky-jerky motion and tantalizingly effective hesitation pitch. The Havana-born son of a celebrated Cuban League southpaw, Tiant, Jr. labored with the Mexico City Tigers and Portland Beavers before finally making his major league debut for Cleveland--a shutout against Whitey Ford and the Yankees. During his seasons with the Indians, Tiant was most impressive in 1968 when he posted a 1.60 ERA and won 21 games, one of them a record 19-strikeout ten-inning performance. Traded to Minnesota a year later, he was summarily released following a second successive sore-armed campaign. Tiant's subsequent comeback took him from Boston's Louisville farm team to the Fenway Park bullpen and into the Red Sox regular rotation. A favorite of the Beantown fans, El Tiante has twice won 20 games for the dub and nearly derailed Cincinnati single-handedly in last year's World Series. One of his personal highlights came when he was reunited with his parents for the first time since leaving his homeland fifteen years before. This legitimately heartwarming success story should strike some responsive chords.

Pub Date: June 18, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION