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
I've played some baseball games just to see what I look like and it looked dead-on like me.
Warren Spahn was one of those players before my time, but I knew a little history about him,
I'm still excited to be here. The bottom line is, I'm just not playing good baseball. I'm a man and can admit it. ... I'm hoping we advance so I'll get another start.
I am still excited to be here, but I am not playing the best baseball that I know I can play. I hope we can advance so I can get another shot of helping the team win. My work has been good but the results just aren't there.
I felt like I was in the game the whole time. I battled through it. I kept us in the game and there were some unfortunate plays and that's all they needed.
It's baseball. That's the beauty of it, playing the games. It's a double-edged sword. Anything can happen. This team has the capability. We just haven't hit yet.
When you think of all the players in the Braves organization, when they were in Milwaukee and now Atlanta, to be one of five players to be on the wall, that's special,
I want to make guys put the ball in play. If I give up ten hits, then I give up ten hits. But I want to work on making them earn it.
I hope that more [African-Americans] decide to play after seeing the things that I was able to accomplish; not only myself, but other African-American players. Hopefully, they pick up a bat and a ball and go out there and play.
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.
The bottom line is, I'm not playing good baseball. I'm still happy to be here, I just hope we can advance so I get one more start.
His name is on the wall, that shows you what kind of player he was,
I just haven't played good baseball. I had a great game plan. I just didn't execute.
I like the way we're playing right now. We're just falling short in some situations. But we're right there in the thick of things until the end. That's showing maturity.