Dontrelle Willis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dontrelle Willis |
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Willis with the Arizona Diamondbacks
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 12, 1982 Oakland, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 9, 2003, for the Florida Marlins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 2011, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 72–69 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.17 | ||
| Strikeouts | 896 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982) is a former professional baseball pitcher from the United States. He was known as "the D-Train". Dontrelle was a left-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for teams like the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cincinnati Reds.
Willis became famous early in his career for his unique pitching style. He used a high leg kick and twisted his body a lot when he threw the ball. In 2003, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He also helped his team win the World Series in the same year.
After his playing career, Willis joined the Los Angeles Dodgers' TV broadcast team in May 2022. He also works as an analyst for Fox Sports and AppleTV+, talking about baseball games.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Dontrelle Willis grew up in Alameda, California. His mother, Joyce, raised him. She was a strong softball player when Dontrelle was a child. Dontrelle never met his father, Clinton Ostah, who also played baseball in the minor leagues. As a kid, Dontrelle loved the Oakland Athletics baseball team. His favorite player was pitcher Dave Stewart.
Baseball Career Highlights
Starting Out in Baseball
Willis played baseball for four years at Encinal High School in Alameda. In his senior year (2000), he was amazing. He had a very low earned run average (ERA) of 0.70 and struck out 111 batters in 70 innings pitched. He was even named California Player of the Year. He first planned to play college baseball at Arizona State. However, the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the eighth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft.
In 2001, Willis moved up to play for the Boise Hawks. He finished that season with eight wins and a 2.98 ERA. Batters found it hard to hit against him, only getting hits 21.7% of the time. Many managers in the Northwest League thought Willis was Boise's best player.
Playing for the Florida Marlins
On March 27, 2002, the Cubs traded Willis to the Florida Marlins. Other players were also part of this trade. After joining the Marlins, Willis had some tough times at first. But he soon got much better in the lower minor leagues. He ended the season with a 10–2 win–loss record for the Class-A Jupiter Hammerheads. He was named the Marlins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
In 2003, the Marlins planned for Willis to start the season with the Class-AA Carolina Mudcats. They hoped he would improve enough to play in the major leagues later that year. Willis did great for Carolina, with a 4–0 record and a 1.49 ERA.
Amazing Rookie Year: 2003
On May 9, 2003, Dontrelle Willis made his first ever major league game for the Florida Marlins. He pitched well, but the game ended with no winner. On May 14, he earned his first Major League win. On June 16, Willis pitched a complete game where he allowed no runs, which is called a shutout. He won 1–0 against the Mets. His opponent in that game was Tom Glavine, one of his childhood heroes!
Willis was named the National League Rookie of the Month for June 2003. He was the first Marlins pitcher to win this award. He won five starts in a row with a fantastic 1.04 ERA. By mid-July, he had a 9–1 record and a 2.08 ERA. He was even chosen for the National League All-Star team!
In the 2003 playoffs, Willis helped the Marlins win the 2003 National League Division Series and the 2003 National League Championship Series. Even though he had some struggles pitching, he showed he could hit too, getting three hits in one playoff game. The Marlins then went on to beat the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series.
After the 2003 season, Willis was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He finished the year with 14 wins and 6 losses, and a 3.30 ERA.
2004 Season
In 2004, Willis started the year strong, winning his first three games without allowing any earned runs. He also showed he was a great hitter, getting six hits in his first two starts. He finished the 2004 season with 10 wins and 11 losses, and an ERA of 4.02.
Fantastic 2005 Season
Willis had an incredible 2005 season. He started by pitching two shutouts. In April, he won all five of his starts and had a very low 1.29 ERA. He was named NL Pitcher of the Month.
He was the first pitcher in the league to reach six wins on May 6, and the first in all of Major League Baseball to reach 10 wins on June 8. By the All-Star break, Willis had 13 wins and only 4 losses, with a 2.39 ERA. He was chosen for the All-Star team again.
On September 7, 2005, Willis earned his 20th win of the season. He became the first African-American pitcher to win 20 games in a season since Dave Stewart in 1990. He was also the first pitcher since 1999 to win 20 games and get 20 hits as a batter in the same season. Willis finished 2005 with 22 wins and 10 losses, and a 2.63 ERA. His 22 wins were the most in baseball that year. He also had seven complete games and five shutouts, which were also the most. Willis is still the only pitcher in Marlins history to win 20 games in a season.
He finished second in the N.L. Cy Young Award voting, which goes to the best pitcher. He also won the Warren Spahn Award, given to the best left-handed pitcher.
2006 Season
In 2006, Willis's numbers were not as high as his amazing 2005 season. He started with a 1–6 record. But he improved and finished the year with 12 wins and 12 losses, and a 3.87 ERA. His 12 wins were tied for the most on the Marlins.
On July 7, Willis hit a grand slam home run! This was very rare for a pitcher. He was the first pitcher to hit a grand slam since 2002. On September 20, 2006, he hit two home runs in one game, which was also very unusual for a pitcher.
2007 Season
In 2007, Willis signed a one-year contract with the Marlins. He finished the season with 10 wins and 15 losses, and a 5.17 ERA. This was his toughest season with the Marlins.
During his time with the Marlins (2003-2007), Willis won at least 10 games every single year. He had a total record of 68 wins and 54 losses with a 3.78 ERA.
Playing for the Detroit Tigers
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On December 5, 2007, the Marlins traded Willis and fellow All-Star Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers. Willis signed a three-year contract with the Tigers. In his first game with the Tigers, he pitched five innings.
Soon after, Willis injured his left knee. He also had trouble controlling his pitches. In June 2008, he was sent to a lower league team, the Single-A Lakeland Tigers, to work on his control. He returned to the Tigers later that season. He finished 2008 with 0 wins and 2 losses, and a 9.17 ERA. He walked many batters.
In 2009, Willis had some health issues and was placed on the disabled list. He made seven starts after returning but continued to struggle. He finished the season with 1 win and 4 losses, and a 7.49 ERA.
In Spring Training 2010, Willis made the Tigers' starting team. However, on May 30, 2010, the Tigers decided to let him go. With the Tigers, Willis had a record of 2 wins and 8 losses, and a 6.86 ERA.
Short Time with the Arizona Diamondbacks
On June 1, 2010, Willis was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He wore his old uniform number 35. In his first game with the Diamondbacks, he pitched six innings without allowing any runs and got his first win with the team. However, he later injured a fingernail and was removed from a game.
In six games with the Diamondbacks, Willis had 1 win and 1 loss, with a 6.85 ERA. On July 4, 2010, the Diamondbacks released him.
Playing for the Cincinnati Reds
Willis signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2011 season. He was called up to the Reds on July 10 and made his debut. He pitched well and even got a hit. On August 3, Willis hit a solo home run while pitching.
On August 9, Willis pitched eight innings and struck out 10 batters, which was his most strikeouts since 2007. This was also the most innings he had pitched since 2007.
Later Career and Retirement
After the Reds, Willis signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2011 but was released in March 2012. He then signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He had a forearm injury and decided to retire as an active player on July 2, 2012.
In January 2013, Willis signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs again. But he got a shoulder injury in his first spring training game and was released.
On April 5, 2013, Willis signed with the Long Island Ducks, an independent league team. He played very well there, with a 2.56 ERA. He was even chosen as an All-Star for the league. On August 8, 2013, the Angels signed Willis to a minor league contract.
Willis signed with the San Francisco Giants in January 2014 but was released later. He then played for the Bridgeport Bluefish in July 2014.
On January 21, 2015, Willis signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. However, on March 13, 2015, he announced his retirement from baseball for good.
Major Accomplishments
- Named the Florida Marlins Hometown Hero on September 27, 2006.
- National League Rookie of the Year in 2003.
- National League All-Star in 2003 and 2005.
- Runner-Up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2005.
- Broke the Marlins' record for most wins in a season with 19 wins on September 3, 2005.
- Became the first Marlin to win 20 games in a season on September 8, 2005. He was also one of the "Black Aces" (African-American major-league pitchers with a 20-win season), the first since Dave Stewart in 1990.
- In 2005, he became the third player in modern baseball history to win 20 games and get 20 hits in the same season.
- Batted seventh in the Marlins' lineup on September 22, 2005, which was very rare for a pitcher.
- Won the Warren Spahn Award in 2005, given to the best left-handed starting pitcher.
- Was a starting pitcher for the U.S. in the first World Baseball Classic.
- Hit a grand slam home run on July 7, 2006, the first pitcher to do so since 2002.
- Hit two home runs in one game on September 20, 2006, which was also very rare for a pitcher.
Images for kids
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Willis with the Arizona Diamondbacks
