Dontrelle Willis

Dontrelle Wayne Willis, born January 12, 1982, and known as "the D-Train," is a former MLB pitcher who threw left-handed. He suited up for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cincinnati Reds. Willis made a splash early in his career, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award and a World Series ring in 2003. He was easy to spot on the mound thanks to his unusual delivery—a high leg kick and a big twist away from the hitter. Since May 2022, he has worked on the Los Angeles Dodgers' TV broadcast team and also appears as a studio and game analyst for Fox Sports and AppleTV+.

Willis grew up in Alameda, California, raised by his mother, Joyce, a retired member of Ironworkers Local 378 who played elite-level softball. He never met his father, Clinton Ostah, a minor league player in the 1970s. As a kid, Willis rooted for the Oakland Athletics and idolized pitcher Dave Stewart.

At Encinal High School in Alameda, Willis played baseball for four years. During his senior year in 2000, he posted a 0.70 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 70 innings, earning California Player of the Year honors. He initially committed to Arizona State but was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round of the 2000 draft. In 2001, he moved up to the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League, finishing with eight wins, a 2.98 ERA, and a .217 opponent batting average. Northwest League managers polled by Baseball America named him Boise's best player.

On March 27, 2002, the Cubs traded Willis, along with pitchers Julián Tavárez and José Cueto and catcher Ryan Jorgensen, to the Florida Marlins for pitchers Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. After the trade, Willis struggled at first but improved once he reached low Class A. He finished the season 10–2 with a 1.83 ERA in five starts for the Class-A Jupiter Hammerheads, leading the Midwest League in ERA and being named the Marlins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

In 2003 spring training, Willis reported to Jupiter with a plan to start at Class-AA Carolina, with hopes he might reach AAA and possibly earn a spot start or bullpen role late in the season. The Marlins sent him to Carolina to work on consistency, and he went 4–0 with a 1.49 ERA.

Willis made his MLB debut on May 9, 2003, against the Colorado Rockies, pitching six innings and allowing seven hits and three earned runs in a no-decision. He got his first win on May 14 against the Padres, going five innings with five hits, three earned runs, and four walks. On June 16, he threw a nine-inning shutout, beating the Mets 1–0 against his childhood hero Tom Glavine. Willis was named NL Rookie of the Month for June 2003, the first Marlins pitcher to win Pitcher of the Month.

He was the first rookie pitcher to earn that honor since Hideo Nomo in 1995 and the first to win seven straight starts since Jason Isringhausen that same year. Over five June starts, he went 5–0 with a 1.04 ERA. By the All-Star break, he was 9–1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 starts and made the NL All-Star team as an injury replacement for Kevin Brown, becoming the second Marlins rookie All-Star after Alex González in 1999.

In the 2003 NL Division Series against the Giants, Willis came out of the bullpen in Game 1 and started Game 4. He allowed five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings but went 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple and a run scored, helping the Marlins win 7–6 and advance to the NL Championship Series against the Cubs. In Game 4 of that series, he struggled with command, allowing three hits and five walks in 2 1/3 innings and taking the loss. His only other appearance was in Game 6, where he gave up a run in one inning of relief. The Marlins beat the Cubs in seven games and then defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series. After the season, Willis was named NL Rookie of the Year, finishing 14–6 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts.

In 2004, Willis started 3–0 without allowing an earned run in his first three starts. He batted 6-for-6 with a home run in his first two outings, and his seven consecutive regular-season hits fell one short of the club record held by Gary Sheffield and Preston Wilson. He struck out in his first at-bat against the Phillies, ending a streak of 10 straight hits dating back to the previous postseason. He finished 2004 at 10–11 with a 4.02 ERA.

In 2005, Willis opened the season with two shutouts, against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies. He went 5–0 in April with a 1.29 ERA over 35 innings.