Remembering Felix Mantilla: Original 1962 Mets Infielder (1962)

Felix (Lamela) Mantilla was born on July 29, 1934, in Isabella, Puerto Rico. Mantilla was one of the first players signed out of Puerto Rico & play in the major leagues. He was signed one year after Roberto Clemente.

In 1953, Mantilla played A ball with the Jacksonville Bears as a teammate of Hank Aaron. In 1954 Mantilla hit 16 HRs at AA Toledo, followed with two seasons batting over .270. 

Braves Career: In 1956 he came up as a reserve infielder with the Milwaukee Braves & became Hank Aaron's roommate during his time there.

Mantilla spent six years with the Milwaukee Braves as an all-around utility man, playing second base, third base, short stop & in the outfield.

1957 World Series: Mantilla & the Braves won back-to-back pennants (1957 / 1958) with a legendary Milwaukee team taking the Championship in 1957 beating the AL New York team in seven games. Mantilla played in five games going 0-10 with a walk.  

In Game #1 at Milwaukee, Mantilla came into run for Nippy Jones in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Braves down 5-4. Nippy Jones had been hit by a pitch & was awarded first base when shoe polish was visible on the baseball. Johnny Logans double scored Mantilla with the tying run. They won the game on Eddie Mathews Walk off HR.

Trivia: In Game #5 of the 1969 World Series with the Mets down 3-0, Cleon Jones was hit by a pitch & was awarded first base after Mets manager Gil Hodges came out of the Mets dugout showing umpire Lou DiMuro a ball with shoe polish on it. Donn Clendenon followed with a two run HR as the Mets eventually won the game & clinched the Championship.

In the 1958 World Series, he made four appearances as a pinch runner, scoring a win.

Ruing a Perfect Game: On May 26th, 1959, Mantilla had come into a game against Pittsburgh as a pinch runner in the 11th inning. In the 13th, Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix was throwing a perfect game. Mantilla, hit a grounder to third baseman Don Hoak who fielded the ball, but his throw pulled first baseman Rocky Nelson off first base, with Mantilla reaching safely. 

After he was sacrificed to second, Henry Aaron was walked intentionally.  Joe Adcock then hit a three run HR but Adcock was only credited with an RBI single because Hank Aaron failed to run out the bases.

Mets Career: In the 1961 expansion draft, Mantilla was selected by the New York Mets as the 12th pick becoming an original Met. Mantilla would spend just one season in New York. 

Mantilla was primarily the Mets main third baseman in their inaugural season, playing 95 of his 141 games at the hot corner. 

First Mets Game: Mantilla started at third base and batted in the second position in the first Mets game ever at St. Louis Sportsman’s Park. 

After grounding out in the first inning, he walked in the third inning & scored the second run in Mets history on Frank Thomas’ sac fly.

Mantilla started out the year well, hitting safely in 21 of 25 games and was batting .329 in mid-May. 

On May 20th in Milwaukee, the Mets came into the 7th inning tied 3-3 with the Braves. Charlie Neal led off the inning with a HR, next Jim Hickman singled & Elio Chacon drew a walk. Mantilla then hit a three run HR off Bob Hendley, leading New York to a 9-6 victory.

Four Hit Games: Mantilla also had four different four hit games throughout the year. 

Multi- Four Hit Four RBI Game: On May 25th, Mantilla had his biggest offensive game collecting four hits & four RBIs in a 18-7 Mets loss in Los Angeles. Mantilla collected an RBI triple two RBI singles & a double while scoring a run. 

Mantilla would have two other four hit games that season with 31 multi-hit games & seven games where he collected three or more hits. He also collected a dozen multiple RBI games as well. 

That season he hit two HRs off the Dodgers Hall of Famer Don Drysdale & hit Four HRs in games against the San Francisco Giants.

Mantilla led the team in sac flies with seven (5th most in the NL). He was second on the ’62 Mets in batting average (.275) hitting 11 HRs 17 doubles 4 triples 59 runs scored & 59 RBIs. He posted a .330 on base % & .729 OPS.

At third base he posted a .948 fielding % but had a career high 14 errors. He played in 25
games at short stop & 14 games at second base. 

At the end of the season, Mantilla was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Tracy Stallard, Pumpsie Green & Al Moran.

Post Mets Career: Mantilla had his best years in Boston hitting at Fenway Park. In his first year 1963, he hit a career high .315 with a .384 on base % playing in 66 games. In 1964 he had a career year, hitting 30 HRs (9th in the league) batting .289, with 20 doubles, scoring 69 runs & driving in 64 runs.

All Star: In 1965 he made the AL All-Star team, going 0-2 while starting at second base in the 6-
5 wins in Minnesota.

 

That year, Mantilla drove in a career high 92 runs (4th most in the AL) hitting 18 HRs with 79 walks (3rd in the AL) 147 hits & a .374 on base %. 

In April 1966 he was traded to the Houston Astros for Andy Kosco & hit .219 in 77 games. He was sent to the Chicago Cubs but was soon released.

Career Stats: In his 11-year MLB career he hit .261 with 707 hits 89 HRs 97 doubles 10 triples 360 runs scored & 330 RBIs. He struck out 352 times with 256 walks, posting a .329 on base % $ .732 OPS. The versatile fielder played 326 games at second base, 180 at short stop, 143 games at third base, 156 in the outfield & 16 games at first base.

Retirement: In 1972 Mantilla founded the Felix Mantilla Little League in Milwaukee. In 2022 the league celebrated its 50th Anniversary. He was also known for his community work partnering with Journey House to youth development.

Honors: In 2017 at 82 years old, he was honored with an honorary degree at Cardinal Stitch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mantilla always remained ties with Milwaukee calling it his second home.

Family: In his first marriage Felix had two children. In 1982 he married his second wife Kay.

Passing: On January 10th, 2025, Mantilla passed away at age 90.