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
When I walked into the locker room, everybody said I had to stop sliding headfirst. Before I even got in there, they were telling me, 'Would you please stop?' Even American League guys were saying that. Vernon Wells said, 'Please stop sliding headfirst.' They all love the enthusiasm and intensity I show.
I have to be prepared to take the mound every five days, and I can't afford to stop and listen to what people are saying.
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.
He's one of my favorite players, if not my favorite player, the way he goes about his business. He makes them go. I was thinking, 'If I could stop him from getting on base and causing havoc.' I was trying to disrupt him any way I could. I wish him all the best.
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.
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.
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.
The resilience of the team showed tonight. We could have packed it in early, especially the way they were hitting the ball. We didn't. We kept the game close.
Everything he meant to his team and the city,
Sometimes humility is good, because it's a good motivation piece. You appreciate when you do get it done.