Weeks after his passing, Red Sox legend gets another chance at Hall of Fame

For many baseball fans of the ’60s and ’70s, Luis Tiant’s exclusion from the Baseball Hall of Fame is an ongoing, egregious snub.

But now, less than a month after his passing at age 83, that could finally change. The beloved former pitcher is one of eight on this year’s Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot. Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson (Negro Leagues), Steve Garvey, Vic Harris (Negro Leagues), Tommy John, and Dave Parker comprise the rest of this year’s ballot. Garvey, John, and Parker are the only living candidates.

In order to be eligible, one must have played, managed, or umpired for at least 10 big-league seasons, with primary contributions to the game prior to 1980. Tiant’s MLB career spanned 19 seasons; he debuted with the Cleveland Indians on July 19, 1964, and pitched his final game with the then-California Angels on Sept. 4, 1982. He spent the bulk of his career with the Red Sox (8 seasons) and Indians (6), as well as two years with the Yankees, and single seasons in Pittsburgh and Anaheim. He was a three-time All-Star, finished top-six in American League Cy Young voting three times, and received MVP votes four times, all between ‘68 and ‘76.

Tiant became a hero to aspiring ballplayers in his native Cuba. If elected, he’ll become the seventh Cuban-born member of the Hall. The first was Martin Dihigo, who was Negro Leagues’ New York Cubans teammates with Tiant’s father, Luis Sr., in the years leading up to and following the younger Tiant’s birth.

The Baseball Hall of Fame initially established three Era committees, Pre-Integration (1871-1946), Golden (’47-72), and Expansion (’73-present) in 2010, before expanding to four in 2016: Early Baseball (1871-1949), Golden Days (’50-69), Modern Baseball (’70-87), and Today’s Game (’88-16). In April 2022, they restructured for a third time, consolidating to the Classic (pre-1980) and Contemporary (’80-present).

Tiant was on the BBWAA ballot 15 times, and never garnered more than the 30.9% he received in 1988, his first year of eligibility. He was also considered by six Hall of Fame committees, most recently the Golden Era in November 2018.

“I’d love to be in the Hall of Fame someday,” he told the Herald at the time. “I just hope they do it before I die, so I can drive out to Cooperstown with my family.”

As the years went by and he was passed over time and again, Tiant grew frustrated with his own exclusion and the sad fact that many worthy players aren’t given their due until it’s too late. Speaking to USA Today after fellow Cuban star Minnie Miñoso’s election in 2021, Tiant touched on the story of Ron Santo, the great Chicago Cubs infielder who’d been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 18 years old, and managed the lifelong condition throughout his decorated career. Santo wasn’t elected until 2012, two years after his passing, and a decade after the diabetes necessitated leg amputations below each knee.

“Why didn’t they put him in?” Tiant said of Santo. “They waited until after he died. That’s a lack of respect. That’s heartless.”

Results will be announced on MLB Network at 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 8. Exactly two months to the day of Tiant’s passing.