When the tribe's Luis Tiant threw four consecutive shutouts; Cleveland right-hander won 21 games and led the A.L. with a 1.60 ERA and nine shutouts. (Turn Back The Clock--1968).(Statistical Data Included)

LUIS TIANT WASN'T JUST ANOTHER good pitcher. He was one of the most entertaining hurlers in baseball history.

His choreographed windup had a wide range of motions. He would bob his head, turn his back on the batter, look skyward or into the field boxes, then deliver the ball from a bewildering array of angles, overhand, sidearm or even underhand.

"I didn't do it for show," Tiant, 61, said. "I did it to get batters out. Players would tell me, `We can't tell where the ball is coming from.'"

Tiant was at his best in the spring of 1968, when he threw four straight shutouts. It is a Cleveland Indians club record and one short of the American League mark of five in a row, set by Doc White of the Chicago White Sox 98 years ago.

It was an unforgettable season for the Cuban right-hander. A few weeks after the four straight zeroes, he struck out 19 while winning a 10-inning game, 1-0. "That was the best game I ever pitched," he said. "I had everything."

He won 21 and lost nine in that sensational 1968 season, while leading the league with an earned run average of 1.60 and in shutouts with nine.

His fastball burned up hitters' bats. "I'd say 75 percent of my pitches were fastballs," he said.