Cuban Luis Tiant among candidates to baseball Hall of Fame

Former Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant was included today among the eight candidates from the Classic Era Committee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Major League Baseball.

The committee reported that it will meet on December 8 in Dallas, to hear the decision from the 16 voting members, who will be announced near that day. To enter the Hall, 75 percent of votes will be required.

The results will be publicized in a ceremony on July 27, together with the players voted by the Association of Baseball Writers of America, whose results will come out on January 21.

Tiant passed away last October 8, at the age of 83. During his active career he recorded four seasons with 20 victories and won a pair of American League ERA titles.

He closed his record in the Major Leagues with a record of 229 games won and 172 lost and an 3.30 earned runs per nine innings between 1964 and 1982, with 2,416 strikeouts. He was selected to the All-Star Game on three occasions.

Despite his exceptional career, he has been ignored since 1988 by voters for the Cooperstown Hall of Fame through.

During his career, the Cuban right-hander also played in Cuban, Mexican and Venezuelan baseball. In Venezuela he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.