MIAMI – Some athletes transcend sports. Dontrelle Willis was one of them.
Willis, whose whirlwind 2003 rookie season included an All-Star appearance and a magical World Series run, quickly won over South Florida baseball fans with his sideways cap, unorthodox delivery and infectious smile.
D-Train became the latest member of the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame in Sunday’s pregame ceremony, joining teammate and World Series MVP Josh Beckett in the 2026 class.
“It's a surreal moment to see my plaque on the wall,” Willis said after touring the HOF on the Legends Level at loanDepot park. “I don't feel deserving, but I'm very thankful for all the people that helped me.”
Some of those impactful teammates were in attendance to honor Willis: Edwin Jackson, Antonio Alfonseca, Álex González, Mike Lowell, Luis Castillo, Jeff Conine and Juan Pierre, who presented Willis with his teal jacket.
It was Pierre, who was entering his fourth big league season (first with the Marlins), who took Willis under his wing. In 2003, they were the first ones at the Spring Training complex every day, something that caught the organization’s attention. At the time, Willis had never pitched above High-A ball.
The 21-year-old Willis impressed at camp, and then continued dominating at Double-A, making it tough to ignore. When A.J. Burnett got hurt and the fifth spot in the rotation lacked consistency, the Marlins decided to call up Willis.
“We knew he was going to be good, but he was just gangbusters and took the league by storm and was just amazing,” former front-office member Michael Hill said. “That smile, that energy, it was really a jolt to the entire team.
“We hired [manager] Jack [McKeon] May 11th. We called up Dontrelle. He made his first start May 9th against the Colorado Rockies, and the rest is history. That smile, that leg kick. It was a huge, huge catalyst to just light everybody's fire, get the energy going. And as you know, from May 23rd on in that year, we were the best team in baseball, and it was because of Dontrelle and our starting pitching.”
All Willis would do is go 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts en route to National League Rookie of the Year – the first in franchise history. The Marlins won nine of Willis’ first 10 starts, including a one-hitter against the Mets on June 16. He tied a postseason record with three hits for a pitcher and provided two key relief appearances in the Fall Classic.
Willis’ personality and success made him a fan favorite. Among those cheering him on were current Marlins assistant pitching coach Rob Marcello and his brothers, who dressed up as train conductors for Willis’ starts.
Over the weekend, Marcello met Willis for the first time. On Sunday, his brother and children brought back a three-dimensional version of the D-Train for the ceremony.
“It was his delivery,” Marcello said. “I probably went home and practiced his delivery consistently, turned the hat, the whole shebang. I think it was more that he just went out there and he had fun in the game, so it kind of promoted how I played the game, too.”
Willis would pitch four more seasons for the Marlins, and he still remains on the franchise leaderboard for several of the pitching categories: bWAR (17.2, third), wins (68, second), innings (1,022 2/3, third), strikeouts (757, fourth), starts (162, third), complete games (15, first) and shutouts (eight, tied for first). Among pitchers with at least 500 IP for the Marlins, he ranks sixth in ERA (3.78) and 10th in WHIP (1.36).
His 2005 campaign remains one of the best in Marlins history. As the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, Willis led the Majors in wins (22), complete games (seven, tied for first) and shutouts (five). His 7.3 bWAR and 2.63 ERA still rank third and fifth, respectively, for a Marlin in a season.
“When Sandy [Alcantara] won it [in 2022], I felt like I won it,” Willis said. “I felt like the organization was deserving. Same as the Rookie of the Year, we partied all night my rookie season, and they were like, ‘We’ve got to get Dontrelle one more win.’ Everybody in the locker room. So there was a lot of Cuban coffee flying around. They said, ‘We're going to score for you early,’ and so they knew. Players think of that, especially being one of the upstart organizations to get a Rookie of the Year and finally get a Cy Young.
“Like I said, I don't want to be the last Marlin 20-game winner. I do not. I want somebody to be able to share that title. Now, that run in '05 was surreal because we're leading off SportsCenter now. You know what I mean? And going up against Chris Carpenter and Roger Clemens. I was heartbroken when I didn't win, only because I wanted to win for the organization to have that plaque and that award, just like the World Series trophies and everything else.”