MLB All-Star Felix Mantilla dies at 90 nearly 70 years after Braves’ upset of Yankees in 1957 World Series
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 the age of 90.
The Braves have since moved to Atlanta, but Mantilla remains an important figure in Milwaukee baseball history and the city’s current club, the Brewers, honored him Saturday.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of Felix Mantilla, an iconic Milwaukee figure who was an inspiration to all of us in the Milwaukee baseball community,” the Brewers said in a statement.
Mantilla helped 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 so 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.
The Braves’ trio of Juan Pizarro, Humberto Robinson and Felix Mantilla (right) are seen at Yankee Stadium in 1958 before Game 3 of the World Series
Felix Mantilla would later become a member of the infamous 1962 New York Mets
“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 youth to teamwork, discipline and fun. My thoughts are with his family and his fans.”
A minor and major league teammate of Hank Aaron, Mantilla was a major contributor to the Braves’ National League pennants in 1957 and 1958, not to mention the club’s seven-game loss to the New York Yankees in the 1957 World Series.
Born on July 29, 1934 in Isabela, Puerto Rico, Mantilla was primarily an infielder, although the natural right-hander could also play in the outfield.
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 record of 40-120.
‘I don’t think anyone dreamed the team would be this bad. “On paper it didn’t look that bad,” Mantilla would later tell reporters.
The 1962 New York Mets are on display at the Polo Grounds. Mantilla is pictured on the left side of the second row between Cincinnati Reds pickup Cliff Cook and Chris Cannizzaro
The 71-year-old Stengel, Mantilla said, “brought the lineup to the officials before the game, then went back into the dugout and went to sleep. I don’t think he could bear to look.’
But Mantilla’s career would be revived in Boston in 1963, when his average rose 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, with a career-high 30 home runs, although it wouldn’t be until the following season at age 30 that he would finally receive an All-Star nod.
But Mantilla’s MLB career would quickly fizzle out. He was traded to the Houston Astros for Eddie Kasko in 1966 and later signed with the Chicago Cubs, but was sidelined after tearing his Achilles tendon.
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 2023 at the age of 89.