Biography of Dontrelle Willis

Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982 in Oakland, California), popularly known as “D-Train,” is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Florida Marlins who made his debut in 2003 and went on to win the 2003 World Series. He is known for his very exaggerated, high leg kick in his pitch delivery, a trait which has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. Willis attended Encinal High School in Alameda, California, where he played baseball for four years.

He bats and throws left handed, and he is considered one of the best hitting pitchers in the majors. On March 27, 2002, the Chicago Cubs traded Willis (then a minor leaguer) and fellow pitchers Julian Tavarez and Jose Cueto, and catcher Ryan Jorgensen to the Florida Marlins, in exchange for pitchers Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.

In 2003, Willis was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He went 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts.

Accomplishments

National League All-Star, 2003 and 2005
On September 3, 2005, Willis beat the New York Mets, to earn his 19th win of the season. With that win, Willis passed Carl Pavano’s franchise record for win in a season, established the previous year, when he won 18 games.
On September 8, 2005, Willis became the first Marlin ever to win 20 games in a season with a 12-1 defeat of the Washington Nationals. He became just the 13th African American pitcher to win 20 games in a season, joining the “Black Aces.” He was also the first African American pitcher to win 20 games since Dave Stewart won 22 in 1990.
In 2005, he became the third player in modern baseball history to win 20 games and collect 20 hits in the same season.
On September 22, 2005, he batted seventh in the Marlins’ lineup. No other pitcher had batted seventh since the Montreal Expos’ Steve Renko batted seventh against the San Diego Padres on August 26, 1973.