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Chris Sale explained why he honored Luis Tiant in Saturday’s Braves-Red Sox game
Sale mimicked Tiant's delivery ahead of throwing his first pitch in Saturday's game.
Chris Sale might not be a part of the Red Sox anymore, but that didn’t prevent him from honoring one of the franchise’s icons when he went up against his former team on Saturday.
The star lefty paid tribute to Luis Tiant on his first pitch in Saturday’s Braves-Red Sox spring training game. Sale mimicked Tiant’s delivery, shaking his glove down with the ball in it before getting into a twisting windup where the back of his body faced home plate before firing a pitch.
Sale’s decision to pay tribute in his start against the Red Sox came a few months after Tiant’s passing. The charismatic right-hander died in October at 83.
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“[Tiant] was a special person,” Sale told reporters. “I just felt like that was something cool for me to be able to do to kind of tip my cap to him.”
Of course, “El Tiante” used that delivery to help him find a great deal of success with the Red Sox. The three-time All-Star was one of the American League’s top pitchers during his time in Boston, winning 122 games as he had three top-six Cy Young finishes and helped the Red Sox win the AL pennant in 1975.
While Tiant’s MLB career continued after his time with the Red Sox ended in 1978, he spent a large portion of his post-playing career in the Boston area. He was a common fixture at Red Sox games and events, working with the team during spring training at Fort Myers on several occasions. He was also living in Maine at the time of his death.
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Sale got to know Tiant as he spent a lot of time with the team during the lefty’s seven years with the ballclub, sharing what his relationship with him was like.
“He was in the clubhouse a lot,” Sale said. “He was a guy that could have some pretty good ball talk and bust your chops with the best of them.
“And then just on the flip side, he would kiss you on the forehead and tell you he loved you on his way out. So he was just a special guy.”
Sale had a solid outing against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing just two runs in six innings as he went up against a Boston lineup that featured many of its everyday players. But his opening pitch to Jarren Duran will be remembered much more than anything else he did during the exhibition game.
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