Career
He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball. Millán, nicknamed "The Kitten" ("El Gatito" in Spanish), born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, made his major league debut on June 2, 1966 with the Atlanta Braves, and played for Atlanta until 1973. Millan was primarily a second baseman.
He played in two All-Star Games, the first in 1969 and the second in 1971.
In 1970 he was named an All-Star, but was unable to participate due to injuries. In 1973, he was traded to the New York Mets, for which he played until 1977.
In 1975 he became the first Met to appear in all 162 games during the season. He played for a total of 12 years.
His first game was June 2, 1966 for the Atlanta Braves and his final game was August 12, 1977 for the New York Mets.
He was forced to retire after sustaining a shoulder injury during an on-field brawl in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Editor Ott slid hard into Millán trying to break up a double play, Millán shouted at Ott and hit him with a baseball in his hand, and Ott answered by slamming him hard to the turf at Three Rivers Stadium, severely injuring his shoulder. On July 21, 1975, Joe Torre set a record for most double-plays grounded into in a single game (4), with Millán on first ahead of Torre.
Millán had singled in all four of his at-bats.
Torre said, "I"d like to thank Félix Millán for making all of this possible."
Millán"s 1976 Topps baseball card, #245, shows his unusual stance, as he choked up almost halfway on the battalion Millán also played for three seasons in the Japanese Central League after leaving the majors.
He joined the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1978, after the Whales bought his contract from the Mets, and played alongside Skip James. He did not play well the next year, and was released by the Whales after the 1980 season.
In his three years in Japan, he had only 52 strikeouts in 1139 at-bats.
Major Leagues
1480 Games
5791 At Bats
699 Runs
1617 Hits
229 Doubles
38 Triples
22 Home runs
242 Strikeouts
.279 Career batting average
Japanese Central League
325 games
1139 At-bats
162 Runs
348 Hits
12 Home runs
92 RBIs
52 Strikeouts
.306 Batting average.