Luis Zuloaga

Luis Zuloaga (El Mono)

• Bats Left, Throws Left

• Born December 31, 1922 in Valencia, Carabobo Venezuela
• Died May 23, 2013 in Caracas Venezuela

Biographical Information

Luis Zuloaga was a star pitcher in Venezuela in the 1940s.

Zuloaga pitched for the Venezuelan national team in the 1944 Amateur World Series and 1945 Amateur World Series, going 3-0 in '44 and 4-0 in '45. He tied Francisco Alcaraz for the best record in the 1944 Series and had the best ERA (0.94); Venezuela won (their second Gold ever in an Amateur World Series). He had the best record in 1945, in which Venezuela won another title. Major leaguer Julio Moreno was the only player to lead consecutive Amateur World Series in wins prior to Zuloaga.

When the Venezuelan League was formed, "El Mono" joined the Cerveceria Caracas club. He had a 0-2, 4.38 record in the league's first season, 1946. In 1946-1947, he improved to 5-2, 1.91. He went 10-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 1947-1948. He tied Don Newcombe for the league lead in wins and was third in ERA. In 1948-1949, he faded fast, going 0-1 with a 16.20 ERA with 14 walks in 6 2/3 IP. He would never again be the dominant hurler he was from 1944-1948. He was 1-0 with six whiffs in nine innings in the 1949 Caribbean Series.

In 1949-1950, the lefty had a 0-1, 6.75 record. He was 1-2 with a 6.82 ERA and 25 walks in 33 innings in 1950-1951. In 1951-1952, he rebounded briefly to 3-0, 3.94 with 25 walks in 29 2/3 innings. He tossed one inning in the 1952 Caribbean Series. Moving to the Leones del Caracas in 1952-1953, he went 3-1 with a 4.64 ERA. In the 1953 Caribbean Series, he threw six innings over two games, with no decisions. In 1953-1954, he was 2-1 with a 6.92 ERA and walked 18 in 26 innings pitched. In '54-'55, he tossed one inning, walking 3. He wound down his career in 1955-1956, allowing 9 hits and 2 walks in 2 2/3 innings. Overall, he was 24-14 with a 3.94 ERA in 86 Venezuelan League games, walking 217 in 358 2/3 innings. He hit .226.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Venezolano.

Sources

• Purapelota
• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo
• Obituary (Spanish)