Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis, nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseballfor the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Willis was notable for his success during his first few years in the MLB and for his unconventional pitching style, which included a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter. He was named the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth12 January 1982
CityOakland, CA
CountryUnited States of America
Especially the last couple of days people were very excited, more excited than I was, ... I was eager to see how things were going to turn out, but I slept easy (Wednesday) night. ... I'm the second-best pitcher in the National League, which is not that dang bad.
I felt great. I could've thrown more. I was pitching off of my fastball, trying to get into a good count where I could throw something with some tilt.
I wanted to stay in the game. I don't know exactly what the pitch count was, but I didn't want to come out that game at all.
They did a great job of making me throw some pitches early. After they scored their first two runs, I just wanted to keep it close and not turn into a five- or six-run inning.
We definitely are few, but we're a proud few, ... Everybody's been rooting for me since I was 15. It's a camaraderie, not just pitchers but African American players in general.
I can always tell my kids, even when they stop listening to their old dad, that I was in the running with Roger Clemens and Chris Carpenter to win a prestigious award. It's not that bad to be the second-best pitcher in the league.
I'm not going to pitch any differently than I do in July or September. I don't think you can change that much on the mound.
I'm just swinging. To be able to get a big hit and put that much pressure on the pitcher is key.
I've said early on, it comes down to consistency and being able to do it inning after inning, ... Things are coming together, and I hope to build off it.
I've played some baseball games just to see what I look like and it looked dead-on like me.
It would be a high honor, most definitely.
It was all positive. I'm just happy I'm employed again.
I understand where (the teams) are coming from; we're all investments whether we make $500,000 or $5 million. Injuries are unfortunate things that can happen any time during the year. ... You just have to suit up and represent your country.
Everything was good today -- getting my legs back into it. I was just trying to get into situations where I have to make a pitch. It was all fun getting back into it.