Dontrelle Willis

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Dontrelle Willis
Detroit Tigers — No. 21
Starting pitcher
Born: January 12, 1982 (1982-01-12) (age 28) Oakland, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 9, 2003 for the Florida Marlins
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Win–Loss	69–60
Earned run average	4.02
Strikeouts	792
Teams
Florida Marlins (2003–2007) Detroit Tigers (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
Rookie of the Year Award winner (2003) 2x All-Star selection (2003, 2005) Led NL in wins in 2005 World Series Champion (2003)

Willis with the Florida Marlins in 2007.

Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982, in Oakland, California), nicknamed "D-Train" and "D-Money," is a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers organization.

[edit] Baseball career

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. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft.

[edit] 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.

In 2003, Willis was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He went 14–6 with a 3.30 earned run average in 27 starts after earning a call-up from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats. During the postseason, Willis showcased his remarkable (for a pitcher) hitting ability by going 3-for-3 with a triple while scoring a run during Game 4 of the 2003 National League Division Series, which the Marlins won 7–6 over the San Francisco Giants to advance to the NL Championship Series. The Marlins then went on to defeat the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series.

In 2005, he led the major leagues with 22 wins while posting a 2.63 ERA. In 2006 he led the majors in hit batsmen, with 19.

On January 15, 2007, Willis signed a one-year contract with the Marlins for $6.45 million, avoiding salary arbitration.

[edit] Tigers

On December 5, 2007, the Marlins traded Willis along with fellow All-Star Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers for Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Eulogio de la Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop. Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski then signed Willis to a 3-year, $29 million contract extension two weeks later.

In a start against the Chicago White Sox, Willis injured his left knee and departed the game before even recording an out.^[1] Placed on the disabled list the next day, Willis had walked nine batters while striking out none in his first two outings. Command of his pitches became a trouble spot, and later in the season, Tiger manager Jim Leyland pitched him in relief for the first time, with little success. He was placed back into the rotation on June 3, 2008 to start in a loss against the Oakland A's. ^[2]

On June 10, 2008, Willis was sent down to Single-A Lakeland, a day after a start in which he gave up 8 earned runs and 5 base on balls in 1⅓ innings pitched against the Cleveland Indians. Though Willis had enough service time in the major leagues to require his consent prior to the send-down, he agreed, saying he needed to work on his control.

Willis was called back to the Tigers in time for the roster expansion on September 1, 2008. He made three starts, recording a loss and two no-decisions.

Willis was placed on the 15-day Disabled List in March 2009 for an anxiety disorder after a blood test showed something of concern; he began a treatment regimen aimed at addressing the condition.^[3] Willis was taken off the disabled list and placed on the active roster May 13, 2009, when he made his first start of the 2009 season.^[4] Willis made seven starts after returning, with poor results^[5], before being returned to the disabled list on June 19 with the same anxiety issue.^[6]

[edit] 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)^[7]
• 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. ^[8]
• Warren Spahn Award, 2005 (presented to the best left-handed starting pitcher in the league) ^[9]
• 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 Jose 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. Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez were the pitchers taken deep by Willis.

[edit] Personal life

Willis pitching for the Detroit Tigers on May 29, 2009.

Willis and his wife Natalee have a daughter, Adrianna Rose (born April 24, 2007)^[10]. They reside in North Miami Beach, Florida during the off-season.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• DHL Hometown Heroes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Official site
• Dontrelle Willis on the Fish@Bat Florida Marlins Wiki
• Stats Page
• Making a great first impression