Dontrelle Willis

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Dontrelle Willis bigraphy, stories - American baseball player

Dontrelle Willis : biography

January 12, 1982 –

Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", MLB.com is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in Major League Baseball for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter. Willis was named the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year.

Personal life

Willis and his wife Natalee have two daughters, Adrianna Rose (born 2007) and Bianca (born 2008). tigers.com

Accomplishments

  • On September 27, 2006, named the Florida Marlins Hometown Hero
  • National League Rookie of the Year, 2003
  • National League All-Star, 2003 and 2005
  • Runner-Up, National League Cy Young Award 2005 (Won by Chris Carpenter)
  • On September 3, 2005, beat the New York Mets to earn his 19th win of the season. With that win, Willis passed Carl Pavano’s franchise record for wins in a season, established the previous year, when Pavano won 18 games.
  • On September 8, 2005, became the first Marlin ever to win 20 games in a season with a 12–1 victory over the Washington Nationals. He became just the 12th African American pitcher to win 20 games in a season, joining the "Black Aces" club. He was also the first African American pitcher to win 20 games since Dave Stewart won 22 in 1990.
  • In 2005, became the third player in modern baseball history to win 20 games and collect 20 hits in the same season.
  • On September 22, 2005, batted seventh in the Marlins’ lineup. No other pitcher had batted seventh since the Montreal Expos’ Steve Renko did against the San Diego Padres on August 26, 1973.
  • Warren Spahn Award, 2005 (presented to the best left-handed starting pitcher in the league)
  • Named a starter for Team USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. However, both of Willis’ starts in the WBC were considered subpar as the USA exited the tournament in the 2nd-group stage.
  • First pitcher to hit a grand slam since Robert Person in 2002 when he hit one off José Lima of the New York Mets on July 7, 2006.
  • Hit two home runs in one game against the Mets later on September 20, 2006. Óliver Pérez and Roberto Hernández were the pitchers taken deep by Willis.

Career

Early career

Growing up in Alameda near Oakland, Willis rooted for the Oakland A’s as a kid. His mother Joyce was a soft ball catcher for her high school team. Willis’ favorite player was former Oakland A’s pitcher, Dave Stewart. Willis attended Encinal High School in Alameda, California, where he played baseball for four years. He is the son of Clinton Ostah, a former minor league player in the 1970s. In Willis’ senior year, he went 12–1 with a 0.83 earned run average in 70 innings. Scouts never doubted his talents, but rather his unusual pitching mechanics. One scout even called him a "Poor man’s CC Sabathia." He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft.

In 2001, Willis was bumped up to the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League. He finished with 8 wins and a 2.98 ERA. Opposing hitters only batted .217 against Willis. In a Baseball America poll, several NWL managers called Willis Boise’s best player.

Florida Marlins

On March 27, 2002, the Cubs traded Willis (then a minor leaguer), fellow pitchers Julián Tavárez and José Cueto, and catcher Ryan Jorgensen to the Florida Marlins, in exchange for pitchers Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.

After being traded, Willis struggled early on. However, Willis started to get better as he got to low Class A ball. By the end of the season, he went 10-2 and finished the season with the Class-A Jupiter Hammerheads. In five starts, he went 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA, leading the Midwest League in ERA. For his performance, he was named the Marlins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.