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Luis Tiant, the charismatic Cuban with a horseshoe mustache and mesmerizing windup who pitched the Boston Red Sox to the brink of a World Series championship and himself to the doorstep of the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 83.

Major League Baseball announced his death in a post on X on Tuesday, and the Red Sox confirmed that he died at his home in Maine.

“Today is a very sad day,” Fred Lynn, a teammate in both Boston and California, posted on X. “A Big game pitcher, a funny genuine guy who loved his family and baseball. I miss him already.”

Red Sox principal owner John Henry echoed Lynn’s sentiments.

“Luis had the kind of unforgettable presence that made you feel like you were part of his world,” Henry said in a statement. “He was a pitcher with incredible talent, accomplishing so much with a style uniquely his own. But what truly set Luis apart was his zest for life, embracing every moment with an infectious spirit, even in the face of his many challenges. He channeled everything into his love for the game and the people around him. He was magnetic and had a smile that could light up Fenway Park. Luis was truly one-of-a-kind and all of us at the Red Sox will miss him.”

Known as “El Tiante,” Tiant was a three-time All-Star whose greatest individual season came in 1968 with Cleveland, when he went 21-9 with 19 complete games and nine shutouts — four of them in a row. But it was his 1.60 ERA — the best in the American League in half a century — that, combined with Bob Gibson’s 1.12 mark in the National League, helped convince baseball to lower the pitching mound to give batters more of a chance.

The son of a Negro Leagues star, the younger Tiant was 229-172 in all with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts. He had 187 complete games and 49 shutouts in a 19-year career, which included six seasons in Cleveland and eight with the Red Sox.

His death comes one week after that of all-time baseball hits leader Pete Rose, whose Cincinnati Reds faced Tiant’s Red Sox in the 1975 World Series — still considered one of the greatest in baseball history.

Tiant won Game 1, shutting out the Reds, threw 155 pitches in a complete game victory in Game 4 and was back on the mound for eight innings of Game 6, which Boston won on Carlton Fisk’s home run in the bottom of the 12th.

Tiant also spent time with Minnesota, the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh over the course of his career. After his retirement, Tiant was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 but never made the national shrine in Cooperstown, New York, receiving a high of 30.9% of the votes in 1988, his first year on the ballot. He was also considered on the “Golden Era” ballot but failed to get the required votes.

Tiant, also a member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame, felt he had earned a place in Cooperstown.

“I think I deserve to be in Cooperstown, but I have something to say to those who elect me. If you don’t take me in life, don’t try to elect me after I die, please,” Tiant told ESPNdeportes.com in August 2008.

Information from the Associated Press and ESPN’s Enrique Rojas was used in this report.

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Hintz (leg) back in action, joins Stars’ top line

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Hintz (leg) back in action, joins Stars' top line

EDMONTON, Alberta — Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz is back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday.

The club’s top skater, sidelined since Game 2, when he took a slash to the left leg from Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, was placed on the top line, alongside Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen after taking warmups and line rushes prior to puck drop.

Hintz also took part in warmups before Game 3 on Sunday but exited early and was ruled out. He was back on the ice for Dallas’ optional practice Monday and told reporters he was “feeling good” and “trying to do everything I can” to get back in for Game 4.

It was early in the third period of Game 2 when Hintz — parked in front of the Oilers’ net — shoved Nurse from behind, and the Oilers’ blueliner responded by swinging his stick at Hintz’s leg. Hintz went down to the ice for several minutes before being helped off by Lian Bichsel and Mikael Granlund.

Nurse received a two-minute penalty for the slash but no supplementary discipline from the league. The blueliner addressed the incident publicly for the first time Tuesday, saying it didn’t come with malicious intent.

“I was backing up to net and I got shot in the back. And I think it was just a natural reaction [to respond],” Nurse said. “It’s probably a play that everyone in this room, whether you’re a net-front guy or D man, probably happens a dozen, two dozen times in a year. It’s unfortunate that I must have got [Hintz] in a bad spot. You don’t want to go out there and hurt anyone. But it was just one of those plays that happens so often.”

Having Hintz unavailable hurt the Stars in Game 3, a 6-1 drubbing by the Oilers that put Dallas in a 2-1 hole in the best-of-seven series. Hintz is the Stars’ second-leading scorer in the postseason, with 11 goals and 15 points through 15 games. He was hopeful when taking warmups Sunday that he’d feel good enough to get back in, but a quick discussion with the training staff made it clear he wasn’t ready.

Before Tuesday night, coach Peter DeBoer had since classified Hintz’s status as day-to-day.

“Of course you want to go every night, but sometimes you just can’t,” Hintz said. “I don’t know how close I [was to playing]. But I have played many years [and I] know when it’s good and when it’s not. I should be good to know that [when] it comes to that decision.”

The Oilers will have some lineup changes of their own to sort through in Game 4. Connor Brown, who is out after taking a hit from Alexander Petrovic in Game 3, will be replaced by Viktor Arvidsson. Calvin Pickard, injured in Edmonton’s second-round series against Vegas, will return to back up Stuart Skinner. And Edmonton continues to wait on defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who is getting closer to returning from a lower-body injury.

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Referee Rooney returns, 11 days after high stick

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Referee Rooney returns, 11 days after high stick

EDMONTON, Alberta — NHL official Chris Rooney was back on the ice Tuesday night for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars.

It was the veteran referee’s conference finals debut, and a fitting return for Rooney given the circumstances. It was Rooney’s first game since he took a high stick to the face on May 17 during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference second-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.

Rooney was injured 13 seconds into the second period when Panthers’ defenseman Niko Mikkola caught him with the end of his stick while fighting for a puck. Rooney fell to the ice and was tended to by trainers from both teams.

While bloodied, he was able to leave under his own power. Rooney sustained a black eye and received stitches for his injury but had no lasting damage. He was replaced at the time by Garrett Rank, in the building on standby in case on injury.

It was clear even the day after his injury that Rooney, 50, hoped to resume duties at some point in the playoffs. The Boston native was finally able to step in for Game 4 with fellow referee Dan O’Rourke.

The pair was joined by linesmen Ryan Gibbons and Matt MacPherson. Referee Graham Skilliter and linesman Ryan Daisy were in the building as alternates.

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Oilers forward Hyman injured in 1st, exits Game 4

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Oilers forward Hyman injured in 1st, exits Game 4

EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers‘ top-line forward Zach Hyman was ruled out for the rest of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday against the Dallas Stars after taking a hit from forward Mason Marchment, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported on the game broadcast.

The first-period collision appeared to immediately rattle Hyman, who dropped his stick and seemed to favor his right arm or wrist. Hyman went directly to the Oilers’ dressing room and did not return.

Hyman has been a key member of the Oilers’ postseason success, registering a league-leading 119 hits in 14 playoff games and scoring five goals and 11 points. He’s a fixture on the team’s top forward unit with Connor McDavid and is part of both the Oilers’ power play and penalty kill.

Edmonton was already down a forward going into Game 4 with Connor Brown sidelined after a hit from Dallas defenseman Alexander Petrovic in Sunday’s Game 3. Viktor Arvidsson returned to the lineup as Brown’s replacement on the fourth line.

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