"The refugee from Cuba is now a Yankee. 'El Tiante' of the herky-jerky motion, dark mustache and ever-present cigar joined George Steinbrenner's stable of thoroughbreds after the Red Sox refused to sign him for two years. The Yanks took him as a free agent for $900,000 for two years, after which he will become the club's director of Latin Affairs, reading George's gospel of capitalism to our underdeveloped neighbors to the south.
A man of many motions, Luis knows how to keep hitters off balance and how to get them out. He was one of the most popular Red Sox ever, and has won 204 games in 15 years.
'My mother told me I was born on November 23, 1940,' Tiant says to those who think he's older. Don't give up on him yet, no matter how old he is."
-Phil Pepe and Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1979 Edition
"In a move that shocked Red Sox fans and put Beantown on its ear, the New York Yankees signed Luis Tiant during last year's Reentry Draft. Get used to #23- he's signed through 1980 as a player, and then he will serve as Yankees' Director of Latin American Affairs.
In 1964, Luis made his major league debut as a Cleveland Indian and he shut out the Yankees on a 3-hit, 11-strikeout performance. After five prosperous years, Luis began struggling and even found himself in the minors in 1971. But he regained the magic, went to Boston and won 122 games in a little over seven seasons.
Now he brings his 204 lifetime wins to New York and finds himself staring in the mirror at those Yankee pinstripes. It's a rejuvenation for Luis and he seems to be like the boy he once was, throwing on the streets of his native Havana, Cuba.
Luis has been popular everywhere he has played and New York should not prove to be any different. He's colorful, exciting to watch, and a real competitor. Soon the chant of 'Looie, Looie' will fill the Stadium as El Tiante does his thing."
-The New York Yankees Official 1979 Yearbook
"In a move that shocked the fans of Boston, the popular Tiant joined the Yankees last winter.
Luis joined baseball's exclusive '200 Club' last year, when he beat Nolan Ryan and the Angels in Anaheim on August 16 for his 200th career win. He was 13-8 last year, appearing in 32 games for the Red Sox, with a 3.31 ERA. He pitched a pair of 2-hitters in crucial games: he 2-hit the Blue Jays, 5-0, in the Sox' final game of the year, October 1, sending them into the playoff game with the Yankees, and he had a 2-hit, 2-0 win over the Orioles on September 6 that kept the Red Sox' lead over the Yanks at four games.
Tiant made a great comeback when he was unconditionally released by Minnesota in March of 1971, and by Atlanta that May. He caught on with Louisville in the Red Sox' system and then came to Boston, where he has since run up a 122-81 record in eight years with the Red Sox.
Luis had a great year in his first full season with the Sox in 1972, going 15-6 and leading the league with a 1.91 ERA. He had 20-win seasons in 1973, '74 and '76, and is one of only six pitchers to win 100 games for the Red Sox.
His first pro team was the Cleveland Indians. Luis was 10-4 his first year in the big leagues in 1964 at Cleveland, and pitched a 3-hit, 11-strikeout shutout over the Yankees in his first major game. The Indians traded him to the Minnesota Twins, along with Stan Williams, for Dean Chance, Bob Miller, Ted Uhlaender and Graig Nettles in December 1969.
Tiant has 46 career shutouts through 1978, second among active A.L. pitchers; Jim Palmer has 51. Tiant and Palmer each had 22 wins against the Yankees, tops among active A.L. pitchers. 1979 will be Luis' 20th year in professional baseball. He appeared in the 1968, '74 and '76 All-Star Games.
Luis lists his greatest baseball thrill as pitching before his father in the 1975 World Series. He was 2-0 in that Series and is undefeated in postseason play.
A White Sox fan as a youngster, Luis lists Rod Carew and Mickey Rivers as his toughest opponents.
Luis signed a two-year contract to play for the Yankees, and he will serve as the Yankees' Director of Latin American Affairs for ten years after he is done playing."
-New York Yankees 1979 Media Guide
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