Mantilla passes away at 90
Felix Mantilla, a member of the original 1962 New York Mets, passed away earlier this week at age 90. Mantilla was the third oldest living player in franchise history until his death.
Felix Mantilla, a member of the original 1962 New York Mets, passed away earlier this week at age 90. Mantilla was the third oldest living player in franchise history until his death.
In 1961, Mantilla was selected by the Mets as the 12th pick in the expansion draft. He played one season in New York, batting .275 with 11 HR and 59 RBI in 141 games.
"The way we played in spring training was decent. I thought we were going to be better than we showed in the regular season, but I was wrong. I thought in the beginning we had a decent team, but we were kind of weak in the pitching staff." - Felix Mantilla on the 1962 Mets
"When the Giants and Dodgers played at the Polo Grounds, those were those were the biggest crowds we had. They were usually pulling for us, but when the Dodgers and Giants were there, it seemed like they were pulling for them. It was awesome to see the way the people got behind that team, which was a pretty bad team. I used to take the subway, and the fans would follow me and ask me for my autograph. The Met fans were a little different.” - Felix Mantilla on playing at the Polo Grounds
Over his 11-year career, Mantilla played for four teams – Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Astros.
OLDEST LIVING NEW YORK METS
Jim Marshall May 25, 1931 (93 years old)
George Altman March 20, 1933 (91 years old)
John DeMerit January 8, 1936 (89 years old)
Galen Cisco March 7, 1936 (88 years old)
Jimmie Schaeffer April 5, 1936 (88 years old)
Cliff Cook August 20, 1936 (88 years old)
Rick Herrscher November 3, 1936 (88 years old)
Jay Hook November 18, 1936 (88 years old)
Dave Eilers December 3, 1936 (88 years old)
J.C. Martin December 13, 1936 (88 years old)
PHOTO GALLERY
MAKING BASEBALL HISTORY. EVERY. DAY.
National League baseball in New York was redefined on March 6, 1961 when the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. formally received a certificate of membership from leave president Warren Giles.
Of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs today, the case could be made that no other team has a more compelling franchise history than the New York Mets. From Casey Stengel to Yogi Berra, Marv Throneberry to Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Tug McGraw, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez, Matt Harvey and Pete Alonso, the Mets are loaded with character(s). Then there is the Amazin’ seasons — 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000, 2006-2008 and 2015 — full of miracles, joy, hope and heartbreak.
@MetsRewind is designed for that purpose: To share team history in a distinct and entertaining format. We hope you — the baseball fan — enjoy the content. We encourage you to share your memories.
