Luis Romero Petit

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Luis Romero Petit (April 11, 1917 – June 29, 2017) was a Venezuelan baseball player who played third base. He batted and threw right-handed. Born in Maracaibo, he moved to Caracas in 1939 where he played in the National Series for several clubs. In 1941 he joined Venezuela’s national team and helped them win the Baseball World Cup in Havana, defeating Cuba in a tie-breaker, the first time Venezuela reached the top level. He also helped the team win the World Cup again in 1944 and 1945, leading the 1945 tournament with nine stolen bases.

Romero was one of the 77 founders of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in 1946. He played seven seasons for Cervecería Caracas and later for Lácteos de Pastora, Patriotas de Venezuela, and Licoreros de Pampero, retiring in 1957. His best season was 1947 when he hit .317 and stole 12 bases. In 366 career games he posted a .234 batting average with 181 runs scored, 72 RBIs and 39 stolen bases. He appeared in three Caribbean Series (1949, 1953–1954). In 2006 the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame enshrined the 1941 World Championship team. Romero died in Caracas in 2017 at age 100, and was then the oldest living member of the 1941 team.