whenever Luis Tiant came on the field.
Tiant was one of the early players coming out of the famous Cuban League. He was always a huge presence in any game and a huge hit with all the fans. His love of cigars earned him the nick-name "El Tiante".
As a young player Tiant traveled from Cuba to pitch for the Tigers in the Mexico League.In 1960, on one of his days off, he accompanied friends to see a woman's softball game. As Maria Navarro came running in from center field, she saw a handsome young man in the stands blow her a kiss.
A few days later, Maria and Luis met more formally at a teammate's party. They talked, danced and began dating soon after.
On October 1st of that year, Luis went back to Cuba The couple stayed in touch through letters and occasional phone calls. On May 25, 1961 Luis landed in Mexico City on one of the last flights allowed to leave Cuba.
Luis and Maria were married. Maria remained in Mexico City to live and raise their children, while Luis played in the major leagues. In 1974, at the height of his Red Sox success, the family moved to an area just outside of Boston, and Maria could be found at Fenway Park whenever the Sox were in town.
