Editor’s note: During February, The Athletic will highlight each member of the Black Aces, the 15 Black pitchers from either the United States or Canada to win 20 games in a Major League Baseball season. The series will conclude Feb. 28. Click here to read about the other members of the group.
Dontrelle Willis as a young pitcher was a throwback of sorts. He tilted his cap slightly to the side. He wore his socks high.
His windup was different from others yet effective, something he once called “a style of my own.” He’d bring his right leg up high, his knee near his face, and turn his back to batters before uncorking a variety of pitches, making it hard for batters to find the ball.
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Now an Emmy Award-winning baseball broadcaster and studio analyst with Fox Sports, Willis’ entire game had an old-school feel. He even once described his windup as “goofy.” But Willis, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound southpaw from Oakland, Calif., played with a youthful joy that many loved to watch — and a windup that was unforgettable.
“Dontrelle took the league by storm,” MLB analyst and former outfielder Doug Glanville said. “He was good and charismatic, fun and unorthodox. But then, with respect to Major League Baseball, he was unorthodox just by being Black, being in a space like pitching where there just wasn’t a whole lot of (Black) representation.”
Dontrelle Willis was a two-time All-Star for the Florida Marlins, and he won a World Series championship in 2003. (Bob Rosato / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
According to a report from the 2003 Racial and Gender Report Card, Willis was one of only 13 Black pitchers in the league. Going further, he was one of only five Black starting pitchers. But when he burst onto the scene with the Florida Marlins in 2003, Willis showed he was the total package, making the MLB All-Star team as a rookie and also winning National League Rookie of the Year.
The Marlins capped the 2003 season by knocking off the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Willis, who had a 14-6 record as a rookie, spent most of that series as a reliable reliever. Two years later, Willis won an MLB-best 22 games and earned membership into the Black Aces. He also had a league-high seven complete games and five shutouts in 2005 to go along with a career-best 2.63 ERA.
That year, Willis also batted .261 with a home run, four doubles and 11 RBIs in 92 regular-season at-bats. In Game 4 of the 2003 NLDS pitting the Marlins against the San Francisco Giants, Willis went 3-for-3, with his final at-bat a memorable triple.
“Dontrelle was one of the best athletes,” said Dusty Baker, who managed Willis in the pitcher’s final season in 2011 with the Cincinnati Reds. “Dontrelle had an old Negro League windup. He could hit. He could run. Back in the day, most of the Black pitchers could hit. Bob Gibson, Mudcat (Grant), J.R. (Richard), Fergie (Jenkins) … I mean, they took pride in not only pitching but also fielding their position and hitting. They weren’t just pitchers; they were athletes.”
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Willis was the first new member of the Black Aces in 18 years, since Dave Stewart first made the fraternity in 1987 (Stewart won 20 games again in 1988, 1989 and 1990). Glanville said Black players can’t help but notice Black pitchers because there are so few, and seeing Willis’ success and magnetic disposition only gave his peers more reason to enjoy him on the mound.
Glanville played against Willis as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs. And when his team wasn’t facing Willis, it was easy to root for the young hurler.
“He’s got that personality to really embrace the love of the game,” Glanville said. “You know when you have something special. So, even from afar, you’re trying to beat him because he was with the Marlins, but you also wanted him to be successful. You appreciate him just representing such a rich history where there’s a dearth of opportunity. I think a lot of players recognized that. We saw his success as our success and our success as his success.”
Happy 42nd birthday to Dontrelle Willis and his iconic leg kick! pic.twitter.com/Dv0NoYrtSu
— MLB (@MLB) January 12, 2024
Willis had the nickname “D-Train” when he played. In 2000, he was drafted out of high school in the eighth round (223rd overall) by the Chicago Cubs. After two seasons in the minors, Willis was part of a six-player trade with the Marlins. He spent a final year playing minor-league ball before making his big-league debut May 9, 2003, against the Colorado Rockies.
He brought his high kick to the league along with a bouncy energy unseen in most pitchers. His windup was reminiscent of multiple pitchers from the past. Some saw Vida Blue; others saw Luis Tiant, Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela or Hideo Nomo.
“Nowadays, (coaches) would have tried to change it,” Baker said of Willis’ delivery. “Nowadays, it’s, ‘If he continues that windup, he’s going to get hurt.’ I remember some of the most perfect windup guys got hurt, and some of the unorthodox hide-the-ball guys never got hurt.”
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Glanville said Willis’ energy might have rubbed old-school players the wrong way. But Willis was unapologetically himself. And at his best, Willis was an asset for the Marlins. In 2005, he made his second All-Star team and finished second in Cy Young Award voting.
By the time Baker had Willis with the Reds, Willis was at the end of his career. He spent time with the Detroit Tigers from 2008 to 2010 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010. Though he started only 13 games in his final MLB season in 2011, he put on an offensive show, batting .387 with a home run, a triple, three doubles and four RBIs.
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After the Reds, Willis dealt with injuries and bounced around on minor-league deals with the Cubs, Phillies and Giants. He also spent time in the Atlantic League in 2013. He signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 but announced his retirement before the season.
Willis is still recognized for his earlier days, and his 2005 season is a constant reminder of how good he was. Those were the times when Willis looked like a throwback player and fit in well with the other Black Aces.
His career stats and accolades mesh well with his personality and exuberance.
“Dontrelle was a real memorable cat,” Glanville said. “The (pitching) motion was crazy in trying to hit it. I mean, you had to time it, get used to it.”
(Illustration: Ray Orr / The Athletic; top photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
Jason Jones is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Culture. Previously, he spent 16 years at the Sacramento Bee, covering the Sacramento Kings and Oakland Raiders. He's a proud Southern California native and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley Follow Jason on Twitter @mr_jasonjones
