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Chris Sale Pays Heartwarming Tribute to Red Sox Legend Luis Tiant With Pitching Windup

This was awesome.
Michael Kadlick|
Sale switched up his lineup in honor of the Sox legend.
Sale switched up his lineup in honor of the Sox legend. | Screenshot via @NESN.

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Boston Red Sox

Baseball Hall of Famer and Boston Red Sox legend Luis Tiant passed away this past October at the age of 83. The three-time All-Star and two-time AL ERA leader spent eight seasons in Boston, and even has a sausage stand named after him outside of Fenway Park.

"El Tiante," as he was nicknamed, was also well-known for using an elongated, over-the-head windup to deliver pitches. As such, Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale honored the late Tiant with the same motion to kick off their spring training matchup against the Red Sox on Saturday.

Here's a look:

Pretty cool, especially given that Sale played six seasons in Boston and likely crossed paths with Tiant a time or two.

WEEI Sports Radio's Rob Bradford added that Sale, "had been thinking about doing this in this start for a while," given how much Tiant meant to him, saying that he "marveled" the late pitcher's throwing motion.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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