Dontrelle Willis Biography

Dontrelle Willis is the newest member of the Black Aces and a favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award. Check out this biography on the left-handed pitching ace of the Florida Marlins.

Dontrelle Willis - Growing Up

Dontrelle Willis was born on January 12, 1982 in Oakland, California and he began learning how to pitch almost as soon as he could pick up a baseball. His mother, Joyce, who worked as a welder on the Golden Gate Bridge, was also the catcher on an elite-level softball team and she began teaching Dontrelle the basics of pitching at an early age. By the time Dontrelle was nine, he had already learned how to throw a breaking ball and he began developing the unique high leg kick which he is now famous for. He became a star at Encinal High School and scouts soon took notice. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round of the 2000 MLB draft and his pro career took off.

Dontrelle Willis - The Newest Black Ace

After being traded to the Florida Marlins, Dontrelle Willis made his first major league start in 2003. Dontrelle's wacky delivery and wicked fastball caused huge problems for opposing hitters. He was selected to the National League's All-Star team and was named the N.L. Rookie Of The Year after finishing the season with a record of 14-10. Willis finished off an incredible rookie season by helping the Florida Marlins defeat the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. After a sophmore slump in his second year, Willis returned to his dominating form in 2005. Willis led the National League with 22 wins and became the first black pitcher in 15 years to win 20 games. This feat made Willis the 13th member of the Black Aces - the elite club of African-American pitchers who have won 20 or more games. Dontrelle's strange high-leg delivery continues to bewilder even the toughest hitters and has made him a favorite to win the 2005 National League Cy Young Award. { Came second to Chris Carpenter - Cardinals- Nov. 10, 2005 }

Dontrelle Willis - Did You Know?

 Dontrelle writes his mom's name on the underside of everyone of his baseball caps.

 Dontrelle Willis' favorite pitcher is fellow left-hander, Barry Zito of the Oakland A's.

MIAMI -- First in wins, but second in the 2005 National League Cy Young Award balloting.

Regardless of the outcome, Dontrelle Willis enjoyed arguably the greatest season ever turned in by a Marlins starter. The D-Train paced the Major Leagues in victories with 22. But his 22-10 overall mark and 2.63 ERA were not strong enough to swing the Cy Young Award vote in his favor.

The honor goes to Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter, who went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA on a team that impressively won the NL Central Division.

"It was a good race, it was fun," Willis said during a conference call early Thursday evening. "It was one of those things where it was something I didn't have control over. My numbers were 22-10, and I put my best effort out there. That's all I can do.

"I can't say, 'woulda, coulda, shoulda,' because I'm not in that state of mind to do that. It is what it is and I'm the second-best pitcher in the National League, which is not that dang bad. I'm just going to take it in stride."

Carpenter collected 19 first-place votes, with 12 second-place nods and one third-place tally, for a total of 132 points. Willis received 11 first-, 18 second- and three third-place votes, good for 112 points.

Carpenter and Willis were the only pitchers mentioned in the top three spots on all 32 ballots.

Based on his outstanding year, Willis was hopeful of becoming the Marlins' first Cy Young Award winner. Now he shares the honor with Kevin Brown for being the lone Florida pitchers to finish as high as second in the balloting. Brown took second in 1996.

As Carpenter was celebrating the first Cy Young Award collected by a Cardinals pitcher since Bob Gibson in 1970, Willis spent Thursday doing a long photo shoot for Nike at the University of Miami.

When he had time to break free, his telephone was flooded with calls from friends, many players on his team and from around the league.

The first message he came upon was from Padres pitcher Jake Peavy. Marlins teammate, and close friend, Juan Pierre also got in touch with Willis.

"I had a bunch of phone calls, even my main man, Jake Peavy, called me," Willis said. "The big thing is when they called me is they didn't want me to get down, which I'm not. They didn't want it to take away from the great season that I had. It was cool just to hear from him to call me and congratulate me."

"It was the first time I've seen him upset since he didn't lay down a bunt," Willis said with a laugh. "He was pretty upset for me. Juan doesn't get very upset. But he was upset. That was cool. I appreciate all that."

Willis' 22 wins were the most by a pitcher under the age of 24 since Dwight Gooden posted 24 victories at the age of 24 in 1985.

"He is special," said Mark Wiley, the Marlins' pitching coach this past season. "Everyone around him sees that he is special, and he would be the only one who doesn't see it."

The 23-year-old Willis, in his third big-league campaign, certainly had a season to remember. Along with pacing all pitchers in wins, he added a Major League-leading five shutouts. The left-hander's seven complete games also matched Carpenter for the most in the Majors.

"Dontrelle is one of those guys who is going to be happy for Carpenter," Wiley said. "His teammates, the coaches, Jack [McKeon], the organization, are all going to be disappointed."

As a matter of fact, Willis indeed heaped tremendous praise on Carpenter. And the experience of being in such a tight race with Carpenter and Clemens, in Willis' words, is "surreal."

"I can always tell my kids, even when they stop listening to old dad, I can tell them I was in the running with Roger Clemens and Chris Carpenter for a prestigious award like that," Willis said. "I'm a 23-year-old guy. I'm pretty much happy-go-lucky and I try to be as wide-eyed as I can. It's definitely humbling because it's historic. Congratulations to Carpenter. It's not that bad to be the second-best pitcher in the league. I just don't want it to seem that now that I'm the second-best pitcher in the league that I want to go fight and kill. It's not like that at all.

"I definitely don't want this to take away from the year I accomplished for my organization. I did the best that I could. And the best was second best in the league. I'm sincerely happy for him. He put together an incredible year. Hopefully he enjoys it. Hopefully the next time it goes around the ball will go my way."

The D-Train set a new career high in wins by a Marlin, breaking Carl Pavano's previous mark of 18 set in 2004.

Regarded as a throwback with his high leg kick, the energetic D-Train treats pitching like a skill position. His athleticism and all-out competitiveness have gained him the respect of many current and former players, along with making him a fan favorite.

Along with being a Cy Young candidate, Willis also was a contender for the Silver Slugger Award and Gold Glove.

He fields his position well and holds runners on. At the plate, he is another weapon, as evidenced by his .261 batting average with one home run, 11 RBIs and 14 runs scored.

"I think Dontrelle projects happiness playing the game more than anybody I've ever seen," Wiley said. "He wears it on his face. He plays with the enthusiasm of a Little Leaguer.

"In a time when all we hear about [are] the bad guys in sports and the money guys in sports, Dontrelle is all about sports."

With the Marlins beset by injuries over the final month of the season, Willis regularly batted eighth and once hit seventh in the order.

In terms of pitching, Willis was masterful for most of the season, compiling a 13-4 record with a 2.39 ERA in the first half, followed by a 9-6 mark with a 2.91 ERA after the All-Star break.

In his splendid season, Willis either set or came close to establishing several franchise season records. His 34 starts matched a team high, and his 236 1/3 innings are second.

Willis' seven complete games are tied for second by a Marlin, and his five shutouts equal what A.J. Burnett did in 2002 for the club high.

Comparing Willis to Carpenter, the St. Louis right-hander was backed by an average of 5.51 runs of support in each of his starts. That ranked ninth among National League starters. Willis, meanwhile, worked with 4.87 runs of support on average.

In the 11 games where Willis either didn't win or wasn't involved in a decision, the Marlins scored 26 total runs.

And in the games that Carpenter either lost or didn't factor into the decision, the Cardinals scored 53 runs.

Carpenter had a better WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) than Willis (1.06 for Carpenter vs. 1.13 for Willis), and the Cardinals right-hander logged 241 2/3 innings and he posted 213 strikeouts and 51 walks.

There was such a narrow margin between Willis and Carpenter, what swung the vote in favor of the Cardinals veteran?

"I'm not really a numbers guy so I cannot tell you," Willis said. "Maybe because I had more losses than him. That's the only thing I can really see off the top of my head that people moved over to him a little bit. I don't even know what a WHIP means. I've been looking at that for a year-and-a-half now, I don't know what that means."

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Dontrelle Willis

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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 Julián Tavarez 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 ERA in 27 starts.

[edit]

Accomplishments

National League Rookie of the Year, 2003
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 wins in a season, established the previous year, when Pavano 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 12th African American pitcher to win 20 games in a season, joining the "Black Aces", a club that also includes one Black Canadian in Ferguson Jenkins. 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. [1]
Warren Spahn Award, 2005 (presented to the best left-handed starting pitcher in the league) [2]

[edit]

External links

Official Site
Florida Marlins profile
Dontrelle Willis at ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

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Several members of the "12 Black Aces" plan to be at Houston's Minute Maid Park on Monday night.

There will be a premier pitching matchup: Florida's Dontrelle Willis against Houston's Roy Oswalt. It opens a pitching-rich four-game series that will help determine the National League wild-card winner.

Vida Blue, Al Downing, Mike Norris, J.R. Richard, Dave Stewart and organizer Jim "Mudcat" Grant, if his doctor approves, will have a rooting interest. They gather to welcome a new member of their ultra-exclusive club.

Willis joined the elite group Wednesday by beating Washington for his 20th victory. That made him only the 13th North American-born black pitcher to win 20 games.

Willis is also the first black 20-game winner since Stewart with Oakland in 1990. Willis' success could have implications beyond setting the playoff field.

"Very seldom do I root against a Frank Robinson team," said Grant, 70, from his home in Los Angeles while recovering from a bout of pneumonia. "But I was watching that game and yelling 'Come on, Dontrelle.'

"To have him do this at a time when we have a rarity of black starters in the big leagues makes us happy. This could really motivate kids in the city to play baseball."

The lack of blacks on the field and in the stands for Major League Baseball bothers Grant.

The game has been his life for more than half a century. He left Lacoochee, Fla., to become a 20-game winner both in the minors, with Fargo of the Northern League in 1954, and in the majors, with Minnesota in 1965.

Don Newcombe was the original "Black Ace," winning 20 with Brooklyn in 1951. Sam "Toothpick" Jones followed in 1959. Bob Gibson won 20 for the first time in 1965 along with Grant.

The other "Black Aces" are Earl Wilson, Ferguson Jenkins, Dwight Gooden along with Blue, Downing, Norris, Richard and Stewart.

Grant and co-author Tom Sabellico are working on a book 12 Black Aces , giving the story of each pitcher. A new chapter will be added for Willis.

Revenue from the book and enterprises such as memorabilia sales are shared by the "Black Aces." They will also help fund inner-city baseball programs.

"We want to get involved as much as we can," Grant said. "We know it's a big task, but we can do it. Baseball is a wonderful game, and we want kids playing it."

Inner-city kids can identify with Willis, from Oakland, Calif. Nothing helps the cause more than visible and appealing black superstar. Willis fits the definition.

He is talented, charismatic and classy. After the 20th win, Willis called Grant to thank him for what the trailblazing "Black Aces" did.

More information on the "12 Black Aces" foundation is available at www.emudcat.com.

Dontrelle Willis - Growing Up

Dontrelle Willis - The Newest Black Ace

Dontrelle Willis - Did You Know?

Dontrelle writes his mom's name on the underside of everyone of his baseball caps.

 Dontrelle Willis' favorite pitcher is fellow left-hander, Barry Zito of the Oakland A's.

Willis, already a 'Black Ace,' might someday add Cy Young

Perhaps we should be past this. Way past this. Past the point where the color of a man's skin is still an adjective, even the thing that makes him remarkable and sets him apart. If only you could just call him "Lefty" and leave it at that. Get real.

Dontrelle Willis, comma, African-American pitcher, comma, would be a rare find if there were zero sociological or racial attachment to his accomplishments. Already dressed in teal, he could be Neapolitan and no less special for his talent than his pigmentation.

But, alas, he is too rare. When the Florida Marlins jacked up the Washington Nationals 12-1 a few nights back, it made the 23-year-old Willis not only the youngest pitcher since 1991 to win 20 games in a season, but the first American-born black pitcher to do so in 15 years.

"You'd like to be able to just appreciate Dontrelle's feat and great ability and treat it the same as Chris Carpenter winning 20 games," said Poway resident Dave Stewart, a black man who posted the last of his four 20-win seasons for the Oakland Athletics in 1990. "But by celebrating the fact that Dontrelle is a black pitcher with 20 wins, you'd be making a conscientious effort to give inner-city kids a role model, somebody to show them it can be done.

"There are not a lot of black pitchers starting in the big leagues. The only two I can think of are Dontrelle and C.C. (Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians). The Dodgers have Edwin Jackson trying to make it and I heard James Baldwin is back in the game (with the Baltimore Orioles). That's not many."

Willis, for the record, is only the 12th African-American to win 20 games in a season. He's actually the 13th member of the "Black Aces," a fraternity of sorts that reunites frequently, and a few of them plan to be in Houston tomorrow when Willis takes the mound for a crucial start against the Astros.

"It's historic," said Willis of his 20th win. "We definitely are few, but we're a proud few. Everybody's been rooting for me since I was 15."

Growing up in Alameda, Willis didn't have to look far for his role model. Often would he step inside the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum to watch Stewart, pitching with the same menacing stuff Stewart had seen as a child watching Bob Gibson. Stewart said his dream was to approach the six straight 20-win seasons by Ferguson Jenkins, whose Canadian citizenship has not kept him from membership in the "Black Aces."

Seemingly, sadly, the Aces are a more exclusive club than even the Baseball Hall of Fame. There became such a dearth of black players, let alone pitchers, that Major League Baseball started its Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program to rekindle interest. That, too, was 15 years ago.

"I don't think there are any more African-American kids playing today than there were two, three, four or five years ago," said Stewart. "It has nothing to do with the RBI program, which I think is a good thing. For inner-city black kids, baseball's just not exciting enough. It's not the game they want to play. Baseball's just too slow, too dull."

It's never dull, to be sure, when Willis is on the mound and demonstrating his herky-jerky brilliance. The pitching-mad Marlins have won two World Series in the past eight years – both times as the National League wild card, not incidentally – but never before had they had a 20-game winner.

Carpenter's the leading candidate for Cy Young – virtually all his numbers are slightly better than Willis' – but Willis is the guy you really don't want to face right now. His ERA over the past five starts is 1.26 and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any game since July 22.

Circumstances actually may yet work out for the best for Willis. The Cardinals would be wise to rest Carpenter between now and their certain postseason, but Florida's in a five-team fight for the wild card and doesn't have that luxury.

With the exception of two three-game series against the first-place Atlanta Braves, the remainder of Florida's schedule is against the other four wild-card rivals. Willis is set up to pitch the season finale against the Braves and very well could wind up with 25 wins.

"He'll say someone helped him," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said after Willis won his 20th. "Baloney. He did it."

But not without inspiration of those who came before him. The few.

Chris Jenkins: (619) 293-1267; chris.jenkins@uniontrib.com

Twenty-something

African-American pitchers to win 20 games and the season in which they accomplished the feat:

PITCHER TEAM SEASON RECORD

Don Newcombe Brooklyn 1951 20-9Brooklyn 1955 20-5Brooklyn 1956 27-7

Sam Jones San Fran. 195921-15

Bob Gibson St. Louis 1965 20-12St. Louis 1966 21-12St. Louis 1968 22-9St. Louis 1969 20-13St. Louis 1970 23-7

Jim Grant Minnesota196521-7

Earl Wilson Detroit 1967 22-11

Fergie Jenkins Chi. Cubs 196720-13Chi. Cubs196820-15Chi. Cubs 1969 21-15Chi. Cubs 1970 22-16Chi. Cubs 1971 24-13Chi. Cubs 1972 20-12Texas 1974 25-12

Al Downing L.A. Dodgers 197120-9

Vida Blue Oakland 1971 24-8Oakland 1973 20-9Oakland 1975 22-11

J.R. Richard Houston 1976 20-15

Mike Norris Oakland 1980 22-9

Dwight Gooden N.Y. Mets 1985 24-4

Dave Stewart Oakland 1987 20-13Oakland 1988 21-12Oakland 1989 21-9Oakland 1990 22-11

Dontrelle Willis Florida2005 20-8*

*Through Saturday (next start: tomorrow at Houston)

Quotable

"Well, he's old."

DUSTY BAKER, Cubs manager, when asked if Greg Maddux's pitching style could be described as "old-school."

Numbers

66 Consecutive innings in which the Tigers failed to put a runner on third with fewer than two out.

3 Mariners suspended for steroid use this season, one-third of those major leaguers caught failing tests, the latest being three-time offender Mike Morse.

48 Career games in which both Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones have homered for the Braves.

Voting results ¬
Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Chris Carpenter, Cardinals	19	12	1	132
Dontrelle Willis, Marlins	11	18	3	112
Roger Clemens, Astros	2	2	24	40
Roy Oswalt, Astros			2	2
Chad Cordero, Nationals			1	1
Andy Pettitte, Astros			1	1




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