* A Cuban Jackie Robinson: Growing up in Cuba, the son of a legendary pitcher denied the chance to play in the majors because of his dark skin, Tiant made his own way in the now-emancipated game. In the minors, his dark skin identified him as a colored player who could not dine or eat with his white teammates, and his initial struggles with English further ostracized him.
* A living link to the earliest, scariest days of the Castro regime: When a delegation of major league ballplayers played a spring 2016 exhibition game in Havana, Luis Tiant threw out the first pitch as President Barack Obama looked on. Prior to that, his first time home after 46 years of forced exile was in 2007.
* Starring role in one of the greatest World Series ever: 1975 Red Sox vs. Reds, won by Cincinnati in seven games, had largest TV ratings in history, and as Roger Angell wrote in the New Yorker, baseball was the real winner of the 1975 World Series
* Other legendary baseball figures featured in Tiant’s story: Reggie Jackson, Carlton Fisk, Pete Rose, Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Dennis Eckersley, Fred Lynn, Fergie Jenkins, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, and more
* Important figure in Red Sox - Yankees rivalry: Tiant played 8 years in Boston and 2 years in New York when the rivalry was at a peak
* Tiant remains active in and around the Boston Red Sox and MLB: He has a website, Facebook page, Twitter handle (@realElTiante) and an agent booking regular public appearances, and the Red Sox organization – which is cooperating with this book – frequently features him at team events. Red Sox and Yankees fans who remember his feats in the 1970s continue to flock to his El Tiante Grille at Fenway Park when he makes one of his frequent game-day appearances.
* Cubans in baseball: There were more than 20 Cubans on Opening Day rosters in the majors in 2018. Tiant is seen as a father figure to them.
* Publicity commitments: Tiant is committed to at least four public book signings and five national media interviews, with one or more signings plus media events occurring in Boston.
