Former Milwaukee Brave and 1957 World Series Champion Felix Mantilla died Friday, Jan. 10 at age 90. Mantilla played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball, beginning with Milwaukee and going on to play for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Mantilla found a home in Milwaukee, staying in the city after his career ended, establishing the Felix Mantilla Little League on Milwaukee’s Southside. Baseball is how Mantilla gained his fame, but his legacy lasts in his work in the community.
“Felix Mantilla was both champion on the field for the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, and a champion off the field who left a lasting impact on the community he loved,” said Milwaukee Common Council President José G. Pérez.
The Milwaukee Brewers, a team Mantilla never played for, offered their condolences, recognizing his impact on the city.
“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,” said the Brewers in a press release.
Mantilla was born July 29, 1934, in Isabela, Puerto Rico to parents of Taino, Spanish, and African descent, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. He began playing baseball at age 9 and moved to the mainland US at age 17 to pursue his baseball career at the Braves’ minor league camp.
Mantilla climbed the baseball ranks, and in 1956 was called up to the Braves’ roster to replace shortstop Johnny Logan, according to the SABR. Mantilla became one of Major League Baseball’s first Latino players, inspiring a generation of players in his home of Puerto Rico.
“Thanks to trailblazers like Mantilla, today over 1 in every 4 Major League Baseball players come from Latin American countries,” said Journey House, which now runs the Felix Mantilla Little League.
Mantilla showed enough skill in 1956 to earn a spot on the Braves again in 1957, where the team would make it to the World Series, beating the New York Yankees in a seven-game series with Mantilla appearing in four.
Mantilla played four more years in Milwaukee before being selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft, becoming one of the inaugural members of the team. He was the starting third baseman for one season in New York before being traded to the Red Sox, according to the SABR.
Mantilla had his best playing years in Boston, hitting 30 home runs in 1964 and being selected to his first and only all-star game the following year. He spent the final season of his major league career with the Astros. After a short stint playing and managing for a team in Quebec, Mantilla returned home to Milwaukee, according to the SABR.
Upon his return to Milwaukee, Mantilla founded the Felix Mantilla Little League in 1972. He started the league on the city’s Southside, in a predominately Latino area. The league is still going today, offering opportunities to play baseball for children ages 4 through 15, according to Journey House. The league also sponsors a cultural exchange program connecting young baseball players in Milwaukee and Mantilla’s hometown of Isabela, Puerto Rico.