Felix Mantilla, a one-time All-Star with the Boston Red Sox and World Series champion as a member of the Milwaukee Braves, has died at age 90.
The Braves have since moved to Atlanta, but Mantilla remains a significant figure in Milwaukee’s baseball history and the city’s current club, the Brewers, honored him on Saturday.
‘We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Felix Mantilla, an iconic figure in Milwaukee who was an inspiration to all of us in the Milwaukee baseball community,’ the Brewers said in a statement.
Mantilla helped to organize a youth league in the Milwaukee area that still bears his name.
‘We will forever remember Felix for his time with the Milwaukee Braves, but even more for the impact he had on thousands of children through the Felix Mantilla Little League,’ the Brewers statement continued. ‘Our love and thoughts are with Felix’s dear wife, Kay, and the many friends and family who join us in mourning his passing.’
A cause of death has not been given.
‘Our city remembers Félix Mantilla,’ Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson wrote on X.
‘He lived a remarkable life. He was both a baseball all star and a world champion. His community work included the Félix Mantilla Little League -introducing youngsters to teamwork, discipline and fun. My thoughts are with his family and his fans.’
A minor- and Major League teammate of Hank Aaron’s, Mantilla was a key contributor to the Braves’ National League pennants in 1957 and 1958, not to mention the club’s seven-game upset of the New York Yankees in the 1957 World Series.
Born in Isabela, Puerto Rico on July 29, 1934, Mantilla was primarily an infielder, although the natural righty was capable of playing in the outfield as well.
He was famously selected by the expansion New York Mets in 1962 and went on to play one season for what many consider the worst team of the modern era.
Casey Stengel’s club would finish with a 40-120 record.
‘I don’t think anyone dreamed the team was going to be that bad. On paper, it didn’t look that bad,’ Mantilla would later tell reporters.
The 71-year-old Stengel, Mantilla said, ‘would bring out the lineup to the umps before the game, then would go back into the dugout and go to sleep. I guess he couldn’t bear watching.’
But Mantilla’s career would get new life in Boston in 1963 as his average jumped from .215 in his final season in Milwaukee to .275 in New York and .315 at hitter-friendly Fenway Park.
Mantilla would have his best season in 1964, hitting a career-high 30 home runs, although it wouldn’t be until the following season that he’d finally get an All-Star nod at age 30.
But Mantilla’s MLB career would quickly fizzle. He was traded to the Houston Astros for Eddie Kasko in 1966 and later signed with the Chicago Cubs, only to be sidelined after rupturing his Achilles.
Mantilla never played another Major League game.
The utility player recently lost a teammate from the 1962 Mets: Reliever Ken MacKenzie passed away in December of 2023 at the age of 89.
