Word: tiante
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There is no other delivery like it in baseball. After winding up with a spasmodic ensemble of twitches, hesitations and jerks, Boston Red Sox Righthander Luis Tiant turns his back to home plate, kicks toward third, then spins around to ward the batter like a pirouetting ballerina high on amphetamines. As if that were not enough, Tiant finally releases the ball anywhere from over his head to just above his knee. The motion is so wild that Comedian Don Rickles has incorporated it into his act. "I think I confuse the hitters," Tiant explains. "They can't tell where...
...right. The latest team to swing at Tiant's pitches was the California Angels. Like nine blind mice, they managed to scratch out only four hits and no runs last week. That gave Tiant his 18th victory, practically assuring him of a second consecutive season as a 20-game winner, with a good shot at 25 victories by October. By no coincidence, at week's end the Red Sox had a firm hold on first place in the American League's Eastern Division...
...whose age is ofiicially listed as 33 but could be 36, 37 or whatever. His success is even more remarkable for a pitcher who was floundering in the minor leagues only three years ago. Excess weight and a cracked shoulder blade had apparently ended Tiant's career after several solid years in the majors, including one 21 -victory season with the Cleveland Indians...
...refining the twists and twitches that he has now developed to a rubbery art. The gregarious Cuban also brought along an inexhaustible sense of humor, a special brand of English and an omnipresent cigar that he smokes, or chews, even in the shower. Red Sox teammates used to douse Tiant's glowing stogies in the whirlpool bath; currently, they are more respectful. "Now that Luis buys those expensive 8-inch Colombians," reports Outfielder Tommy Harper, "we can't dunk 'em like we used...
Dwight Evan hoisted a Vida Blue fastball down the right field line for a three-run homer and Luis Tiant scattered six Oakland hits to lead the Red Sox to a 4-1 triumph over the A's last night in Fenway Park...