Cleveland Baseball Insider

Former Cleveland Pitching Great Passes Away At Age 83

Eventual three-time All-Star Luis Tiant spent his first six Major League seasons with Cleveland from 1964 through 1969.

Logan Potosky

Aug 1965; Unknown Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Indians pitcher Luis Tiant in action during the 1965 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images © Copyright Malcolm Emmons
Aug 1965; Unknown Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Indians pitcher Luis Tiant in action during the 1965 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images © Copyright Malcolm Emmons / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
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Throughout the years, the Cleveland Guardians have had an abundance of remarkable pitchers suit up for their team.

From Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, and Gaylord Perry, to CC Sabathia, Corey Kluber, Shane Bieber, and Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland is synonymous with strong pitching.

Another great Cleveland pitcher was Luis Tiant, whom the Guardians announced on Tuesday has sadly passed away at the age of 83.

The Cuban-born Tiant began his MLB career with Cleveland in 1964, where he spent his first six seasons. The right-hander made 211 appearances (160 starts) for the club, going 75-64 with a 2.84 ERA, 12 saves, and 1,041 strikeouts in 1,200 innings. He also pitched 63 complete games for Cleveland, and his 21 shutouts are the ninth-most in franchise history.

Tiant's MLB debut was one for the ages. On July 19, 1964, in Game 2 of a road doubleheader against the New York Yankees, he pitched a complete game shutout in a 3-0 Cleveland win. He allowed four hits and four walks, while throwing 11 strikeouts.

A baseball player throwing a ball while wearing a white jersey, white pants, red hat, red undershirt, and an orange glove.
Aug 1965; Unknown Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Indians pitcher Luis Tiant in action during the 1965 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images © Copyright Malcolm Emmons / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

According to Stathead, he is one of just five pitchers in MLB history to toss a complete game shutout with at least 11 strikeouts in their MLB regular season debut, and is the most recent one to achieve the feat.

In 1968, Tiant was named an All-Star and finished fifth in the American League MVP voting. He led MLB in opposing batting average (.169), while leading the AL in ERA (1.60) and shutouts (nine). The right-hander also ranked top-six in MLB in: WHIP (0.87, third), strikeouts (264, fourth), wins (21, tied for fifth), complete games (19, tied for fifth), and win percentage (.700, sixth).

Tiant ultimately pitched for six teams during his 19-year MLB career, and was a three-time All-Star.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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