Boston Red Sox legend Luis Tiant, one of the most celebrated and recognizable pitchers in MLB history, passed away on Tuesday, as announced by the league.
Johnny Bench, the Hall of Fame catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, paid tribute to Tiant later that day with a heartfelt message on X (formerly Twitter).
“Although we won the World Series in 1975, Luis Tiant shut us out in Game 1 and secured another complete game victory in Game 4,” Bench wrote. “He was a vital part of the Red Sox organization, and baseball has lost another icon. My condolences to his family and the Boston fans.”
Bench, a two-time MVP and World Series champion, faced Tiant during the dramatic 1975 World Series, which went to seven games. Tiant successfully perplexed Cincinnati’s Great Eight lineup, which included three Hall of Famers: Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez, as well as Pete Rose, who would likely have been elected if not for his lifetime ban from baseball due to gambling.
In that World Series, Tiant started three games, winning two and allowing 10 earned runs over 25 innings pitched. Despite being on the winning side of the series, Bench wanted to ensure that people remembered just how impressive “El Tiante” was on baseball’s biggest stage.
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