Luis Tiant on family, the Red Sox and Minnie Miñoso

When Luis Tiant arrived in Boston in 1971, he wanted to repair and remake himself.

Despite a broken shoulder blade, he refined his pitching style with the Red Sox and became “El Tiante,” the leader of the team’s pitching staff in the 1970s.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Tiant reflects on his family, his style, Cuban icon Minnie Miñoso — and how Boston shaped the person that he became.

Luis Tiant

La Vida Baseball: What does family mean to you?

Luis Tiant: I think that’s what it’s all about. You have to put your family first and everything else second. And that’s what I did all my life. I played baseball. I enjoyed the game, but I never forgot my family.

One thing my father used to tell me all the time, “Never dirty your family name. Keep it clean and behave. Be good to people. And respect yourself, the only way people respect you.” They taught me in that particular way — be it family, respect — behave. Never dirty your last name, your family name. And that’s what I did and that’s what I teach my kids.

And my family’s still there. Thank you, God. And I want to keep it that way to the man upstairs.

LVB: One of the things you’ve always been known for is your style. How did you develop it?

When I started in Cleveland, I used to show my number to the hitters. And then when I came to Boston in ’71, they put me in the bullpen. I never was a bullpen pitcher. I remember one night, Sonny Siebert was supposed to pitch but he got sick. Eddie Kasko was our manager, and he called me and asked, “Are you ready to pitch?” I told him, “I’m born ready.” He pitched me that night. In the [middle] innings — I was battling Cleveland in a 4-2 game — it came into my mind that nobody ever told me to pitch that way. I thought, “Let me try this. Let me look into center field, then release.” And I did it. And the batter’s eyes got so big. He moved away from home plate and the ball went right down the middle. Strike three.

“Let me try this. Let me look into center field, then release.”

The hitter turned to [Carlton] Fisk and asked, “What is that?” Fisk told him, “That’s a new pitch.” The batter wasn’t happy. “Are you kidding me?” From that point on, I started doing it. I start practicing more, to get to control where I have to release, the point where I release everything. I won [147] games after that. It worked for me.

LVB: As a Cuban-born ballplayer, what comes to mind when you think about Minnie Miñoso?

When I was a kid in Cuba, he was my hero. The thing is, Miñoso was a hero for all of Cuba at that time because he was a great player. I wanted to pitch against him. I want to pitch against Minnie. [Cuban players] had a lot of respect for him, a lot of love. It was hard when he passed away.

I first met Minnie playing against him in Mexico. Then we played against each other here in the United States. When he stopped playing, he was like my father. He was a good friend. He used to go where I lived and visit my father and talk to him.

I think Miñoso should be in the Hall of Fame. His numbers are there.

LVB: Boston provided you a second chance. Talk about your relationship to the Red Sox fans and giving back.

I used to go to a lot of hospitals, children’s hospital and stuff like that. Because there were a lot of Latino doctors in the children’s hospitals, I used to tell them, “Don’t say anything [to] anybody.” I would just show up and go and see the kids.”

One thing I learned is, you have to do your thing. You have to [be] you. [But] you have to keep your mouth shut — and the less you talk, the less flies are going to come into your mouth. That’s the problem with a lot of people — talking too much and doing too many bad things. You might be a good player, but when you get out of uniform and you’re going out on the street, you have to deal with regular people. That’s a different story. You have to behave. You have to be polite because that’s what we should do. We’re in the eyes of all the people and you have to do good things. You have to be nice to people and do things to help your community. That’s what my mom and dad taught me.

LVB: You have come back as a team ambassador. You are a part of the Red Sox team, along with Pedro, Manny, Hanley, and Big Papi. How does it feel that you helped to create this Latino legacy of the Boston Red Sox?

I mean, I’ve been here since 2002. Dan Duquette brought me back. Every year now, I go back to the ballpark. This organization, the owners, they’ve been great. This is an honor for me. To me, it’s like I was born again in baseball — starting a new life. I’m still in the game; this is what I know. Baseball is my life.

To be with these guys… I come here and go in the clubhouse and talk to them. Most of these kids — Boston has a good bunch of kids — they respect me. They call me “Sir” — and I tell them not to because it makes me feel old. They ask me questions about the game. They want me to watch them throw and see what they’re doing wrong or whatever. I tell them that’s the pitching coach’s job, but they make me feel important. They know I might provide some advice that will make them better pitchers in the future.

Featured Image: MLB Photos