Former MLB pitcher Luis Tiant, who played 19 seasons with six different teams, passed away Tuesday at 83. Best known for his eight seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Tiant was among the most electrifying pitchers of his era. Some believe he should end up in Cooperstown, N.Y. with other legends of the game.
Tiant has had several opportunities to be voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame but came up well short on most occasions. He was eligible for 15 years under the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot but never received more than 30.9% of the vote. At least 75% is needed in a given year to be elected.
Tiant again missed the mark from multiple committees voting, three times in six years from 2011 to 2017. With recent changes to the Hall of Fame’s voting process, Tiant might get another crack at joining baseball immortality.
Per a change implemented in 2022, former baseball figures not elected via the BBWAA ballot are eligible for three separate ballots that will rotate yearly. The Contemporary Baseball Era ballot is split into two: players who impacted the game since 1980 and managers, executives and umpires who followed suit in the same time span.
Tiant’s eligibility would come from the Classic Baseball Era committee, which is up for the first time next year for the Class of 2025. Unlike the Contemporary Era, the Classic Baseball Era’s nominees will consist of all baseball figures, including the Negro Leagues, who were involved before 1980. According to the Hall of Fame’s website, all three ballots will have eight candidates.
Luis Tiant played from 1964 to 1982. He was an MLB All-Star three times, twice won the American League ERA title and finished top-six in Cy Young Award voting three times. In 1972, he was the first Red Sox pitcher to lead Major League Baseball in ERA since Lefty Grove in 1939.
Tiant is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1997.