How the 'D-Train' Got Derailed

[@joshuapatrick682]

Dude played a sport at the highest level for 9 full season at one of if not the most demanding positions in pro sports and has a Championship ring and 40 million dollars (back when that meant something) for his efforts. I’d say he was a success.

[@thejmc4074]

100% yes. People act like if you aren’t an ace for 20 years then you are some kind of failure. I’d say if you make the league and stay in then you’re set.

[@marcjohn9404]

It's all relative, for most people that's a huge success and in general yes there's no denying he was successful. However, he should have been a lot better for a lot longer. It really wasn't that long ago though, that they used to just spray shit on your arm to numb the pain so you could go out and pitch 7 or 8 innings when you should have been resting it. He should have been better for a lot longer, and the same applies to tons of other really good pitchers from the same time.

[@FirstNameJackLastNameHammer]

Dontrelle Willis won 2 WS

[@ButchCrassidy]

​@@marcjohn9404 How do we determine who "should have" been better? How do we know their level of potential? We could literally say that about almost every single person who's played a professional sport.

[@jmo41562]

@@FirstNameJackLastNameHammer he only won 1

[@jacobelliff6821]

My 4th-6th grade year can be summarized as “tried to learn to pitch like Dontrelle Willis.” Thanks for the nostalgia overload today!

[@Kyalthered]

Mannnn same!!

[@renafan3333]

And I'm guessing your first coach saw that and was like "What Are You Doing,Cut That Out!" lol

[@nickwagar81]

Exactly 😂I think it was my 5th-6th grade h by it I absolutely pitched like him whenever possible

[@ramony_4084]

Hit that shit on the nose lmfao

[@lunasweats126]

Bro I try one game and kept balks since I kept losing my balance haha my dad was not happy

[@N1120A]

Dontrelle is also an excellent analyst. A pitcher who could hit well, he can break down mechanics on both sides and is dynamic

[@DavidHBurkart]

There are many players who consider their cup of coffee in the Bigs proof of their efforts and a measure of success most folks in this world will never realize. Dontrelle Willis is unquestionably an MLB success. In this day and age of sub 20 game winners, he is one of the few from this century who will ever see 20 wins.

[@DaddingAllDay]

Looking at this retrospective, it makes sense why teams now put heavy pitch/inning limits on their young arms. Though Miami did it again with Alcantara throwing 228 last season. D-Will was a work horse! One of my favorites.

[@NicholasRaynes-oe8io]

The innings limits are terrible. Marlins would not have even made the postseason if they limited Dontrelle Willis in 2003.

[@SeemsLogical]

Dontrelle Willis was so much fun to watch. I loved his high leg kick style, I loved the excitement he showed when he made a big out and I especially loved how kind he was to fans of his team and the opposing team alike. He was a good player and an even better person. It is a shame that he burned out so early in his career because I would have enjoyed seeing more of him.

[@davewills94]

2003 was the first year I really paid attention to MLB, not just following my favorite team. Being a Braves fan, I saw a lot of Dontrelle, and then of course the World Series happened. I don’t recall enjoying watching a pitcher much more than D-Train.

[@PHXNKVHXLIC]

Wontrelle Dillis

[@danielwarren3138]

By the end he was Dontrelle Lillis

[@johnbyrd3154]

​@@danielwarren3138 Lillis?

[@Fluffington3rd]

Fellow bones enjoyer

[@nothanksguy]

68 like. Glad that I made it nice for the next one

[@danielwarren3138]

@@johnbyrd3154 DontrL

[@davidrasic9337]

My all time favorite player of all time. So happy he’s working with the dodgers. When I was 8 I met his aunt in a vons in la Crescenta ca wearing his jersey and she noticed it and ended up sending me a lot of pictures and souvenirs of dontrelle to my house

[@d-train510]

So proud I went to the Same high school as D Train and its also the same school Jimmy Rollins and the great Willie “Pops” Stargell went too

[@frankanon4450]

Fellow Mets fan here also :). I always liked him because he was one of those players, like Jose Reyes or Griffey Jr. who genuinely looked like they loved playing the game

[@steveperez178]

Same here 👍

[@Mj-kb6ig]

He had the child like charm. Always a huge smile. I remember rooting for the Marlins because of him.

[@codizzle]

Jolly, you are an absolute legend for using the Power Pros music. That saxophone just brought me back to the PS2 at my grandmas house. I haven’t thought about that game in probably a decade lol

[@cadecarruthers6638]

Glad I’m not the only one who noticed this, we definitely need a (full) Power Pros game back in the US.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

Following the 2005 season, the Tigers actually offered Curtis Granderson AND Justin Verlander for Willis. And the funny thing is that it was the Marlins who said no. Considering they were in the middle of breaking up the core, that's a bit of a head scratcher.

[@spicyfood6943]

sorry but verlander on the marlins is just. not working for me like my brain isn't accepting that as a concept

[@ryan2985k]

Never heard this any proof

[@reubenshepherd4538]

Man the power pros music brings back memories... Willis was my fav pitcher in that game lol

[@DTMJR1987]

First two seasons were electric, always loved watching him pitch vs my Phillies back then & still follow him on IG. One of the most influential players I watched growing up, dude's a champion and legend.

[@nicholasperry6869]

That was my senior year of college in Miami at Barry University, when they made that run. I watched so many games from the fish tank, $3 seats out in the outfield. Then we spent 20 bucks and sat right behind home plate and watched them beat the Phillies to clinch the wildcard. After that it was hard to get tickets Fairweather fans down in Miami but I’ll never forget, I knew Miguel Cabrera was going to be great. 19 year old Miguel Cabrera what a season what a town what a game.

[@bvd7517]

The optimum in-season schedule of pre-game Jolly Olive.

[@IsmailAbdulMusic]

Real interesting. I remember when Dontrelle Willis pitched for the Detroit Tigers. That's the team I root for. I'm from Pontiac, Michigan

[@ezioauditore23]

A lot of pitchers fizzle out, makes Nolan Ryan that much more insane how long he went on

[@brennanf34]

I remember going to the Kane County Cougars games when he pitched. He was amazing

[@marcjohn9404]

Willis should have won Cy Young in 2005, he was excellent his for 3 years, year four he was really good, but after that he lost control over his arsenal. Some people get defensive whenever you bring this up, but it's true, the Marlins drove him into the ground the same way the A's did with Mark Mulder, the same way the Cubs did with Mark Prior, the same way the Giants did with both Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Those pitchers were all amazing for a brief period, in Prior's case very brief unfortunately, but they all ended up suffering catastrophic loss of ability and were out of the league well before their time should have been up.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

And whats the common trend of most of those pitchers mentioned? Funky windups, which made the overuse even worse.

[@VenomousStare]

Good video, loved his 2003 season. One of my favorites growing up. That ad that had the music with his windup is one of the best commercials ever.

[@patdry]

One of my favorite ball players. I adopted the high leg kick in my youth and kept it through high school. Great video Jolly, really enjoyed this one.

[@JimKopriva]

Great video. That ESPN The Mag cover brings back memories. My dad won a raffle for "scout seats" at Comiskey Park right behind home plate for a game Dontrelle pitched for the Marlins. I got to see his leg kick and fastball barreling right at me.

[@finnsmith9091]

He went to my high school! So awesome to feature an Encinal Jet!

[@DigiRangerScott]

Also: You never know which players become analysts, but it’s weirder when certain ex-players become coaches. It’s when you sit down and realize they may not have performed the best, but they were still taught. They have the know-how for others to maybe execute it better.

[@Trumpisscum-420]

I don't get when people insist that just because someone was a great player means they would automatically make a great coach or manager. It takes a certain type of person to be an effective teacher of anything, especially in sports when you also have big egos to deal with. More often than not the best coaches/managers are the ones who didn't have the greatest playing careers, while the great players often struggle as coaches. Of course there's always exceptions.

[@DigiRangerScott]

@@Trumpisscum-420 Maybe a lot of people subconsciously don’t want every coach to be Gordon Bombay

[@SeemsLogical]

My Dad and I talked about this regularly growing up. He's of the opinion that the best players make some of the worst coaches and managers because so many of them could bypass fundamental flaws in their game by their sheer talent and athleticism. It's usually the players who were average or below average, who have to optimize their technique because they weren't as talented as some of the elite players in the game. They have a deeper understanding of the game because they had to work harder to keep up with the more talented guys. And it's that struggle and overcoming those struggles that make them a better coach when they can no longer be in the game as a player. Someone like Ted Williams was outstanding as a player but performed poorly as a coach. His baseball instinct was top notch but he had trouble expressing to his players how he always knew what to do. By comparison, Don Zimmer who was mediocre as a ball player excelled as a coach and as a manager. Both men had their numbers retired but Williams got into the hall of fame from his prowess as a player, Zimmer got in due to his brilliance as a manager.

[@unclejune2839]

We met him at a bar near Cincinnati. He's a nice guy.

[@A_Real_Cutie]

MLB Power Pros music is awesome I went back and played them again recently.

[@kiefdemon1979]

I just love the video clip of Juan Pierre running in from CF after winning the World Series. That smile always gets me.

[@NSGyt]

MLB Power Pros ost in the background this is why you’re GOATed

[@johnshoemaker234]

that really cool you showed the gambling help phone number in your ad. Shows you’re a real one. Great video too!!

[@justingil27]

This is pretty cool. The early stages were my childhood. Got to hear Pudge talk about 2003 a few times because my brother and I played with/against his son, and I got pretty close with Rueben Sierra whose house id hit at while finishing HS/in college. He’d talk about the 03 series among other things and it was cool to get both their perspectives/insightful stories from this time.

[@ktat01]

I was at that game when he was pitching for tigers against the Rockies in 2009. He pitched pretty decent that day which was a big deal at the time. As he missed time for anxiety issues at that point and was bouncing between triple-A Toledo and Detroit. At this point it had been 2 years in detroit with nothing much to show statistically so this outing was very promising. But sadly that was one of the last times we’d see him pitch effectively and was not long for the league. Which sucked cause I was really rooting for him. A lot of people back then speculated that he had developed the yips even. I really wish he could’ve gotten it together and led Detroit to a World Series.

[@AndyKaufman3000]

Dtrain was always one of my favorite pitchers when he was with the Marlins. I always hoped he would find his way back to form after being traded it just never happened but not for lack of trying. They still put his autographs in modern baseball card products which I think is cool. I own a few of his Marlins game used jerseys and a Dbacks game used jersey. I need some from the other teams he played for but they can be expensive. A friend gave me a game hat from when he pitched for the Reds so I have that too. I always enjoy seeing videos pop up of Dontrelle so thanks for that!

[@bizzmoneyb]

i was at his very first start. as well as Miguel Cabrera's. it was the only year in my life that i had season tickets in any sport. definitely didnt see that coming!!

[@marksmanm1garand_510]

This is my all-time favorite delivery. That back to the batter delivery was like, "you aint shit, get behind me." I love it.

[@joshcarlini4459]

Great video. I remember I loved this guy. He was one of my favorite players, when u was growing up. I forgot about him till I saw your video. I had him on so many yahoo fantasy teams. Haha

[@solidstate90]

D-Train is one of my all time favorite pitchers

[@connorrussell2084]

jesus 2003 really was 20 years ago

[@IdliAmin_TheLastKingofSambar]

Ikr? I am getting OLD.

[@coolstufftodo5256]

Bruh I turn 20 this year wtf

[@IdliAmin_TheLastKingofSambar]

@@coolstufftodo5256 How do you do, fellow kid? 😆👴🏽

[@coolstufftodo5256]

@@IdliAmin_TheLastKingofSambar life is good right now, yourself?

[@IdliAmin_TheLastKingofSambar]

@@coolstufftodo5256 Glad to hear it! Things aren’t perfect for me, but looking up for sure-thanks for asking! 🙏🏽

[@edgarrarrio5018]

Bro, I'm a Mets fan too and I will NEVER forget him absolutely clobbering a grand slam against them. Living in Miami, I was able to catch a lot of his games. Legend in my eyes obviously.

[@kdtrey5isabeast]

My favorite pitcher of that time. As someone who’s right handed, I tried pitching left handed like him and got pretty decent with my control. He was a lot of fun to watch

[@PrimarySweeper13]

Dontrelle. A Bay Area hero

[@Dbales34]

Loved watching dontrelle at Joe Robby stadium growing up. My dad always pointed out how goofy his wind up and man mannerisms were

[@josephabbazia6135]

I am so excited this was made this is one I was commenting to get for so long thanks ! I love the D Train

[@michaelb7864]

This video missed the most important part of what happened. He was having massive panic attacks and had a really bad anxiety disorder that came on out of nowhere. I’ve had panic attacks and anyone else who has will tell you how quickly they turn your world upside down

[@rachelm3786]

He pitches the first game I ever went to with the Tigers. Compete game two hit shutout. I've certainly never forgotten it.

[@peterharris6409]

The Spirited Pimento always brings the heat with his videos

[@planetjanet3845]

He's a great commentator too, full of interesting stories and smart analysis of pitchers, I wish he were a regular on the A's broadcasts.

[@CharmCityGamer]

God do I miss the D-Train. Thanks Jolly!

[@randomconnection]

The reason I watch or even think about baseball is that 2003 marlins team. Watching d train on TV to watching him pitch in person it was awesome

[@joeyteter9383]

I remember watching that 03 run as a teenager and absolutely loving the D-Train! I hated to see him struggle after that year

[@mptness4389]

For 5:30, worth noting that in the half inning prior to this, he had hit a triple to straightaway center and basically exhausted all the energy he had left, thus why the wheels fell off.

[@parkerbeard6170]

I felt the same way, he tortured my Mets growing up. It sucks how his career was up and down

[@rickyhenry4958]

One of the greatest windups ever! Dude was electric!

[@chaoscjc]

great storytelling Jolly.

[@DigiRangerScott]

So many players get rightfully hyped up and then suddenly fall away due to injury or whatever.

[@frankincredible]

I was at the 1-hit CG shutout. Glavine also pitched an incredible game. 7 IP, 1 ER, which was the difference in the 1-0 game. Probably the best regular season game I've ever been to, despite the Mets losing that day. D-Train was a phenom when he came up.

[@donwon7592]

Tiger fan here We got miggy and Willis. So much lost.

[@ianreed8640]

So glad I got to see him pitch at the trop

[@davewills94]

Those commercials were ICONIC!

[@ericsu8533]

He should’ve got a Cy Young 😢

[@EHeroClayman]

Early 2000s baseball was fun. D-Train was a big part of it. Seeing his joy in the game and black man doing what he did at that level, I always rooted for him except against the Braves. His post career stuff on MLB Network was always knowledgeable and had me learning something each time he demonstrated something.

[@pandabearmadness6263]

I loved watching him pitch

[@1982kinger]

Willis was a time traveller from 1930

[@myfavoriterestaurant]

I’ve loved this channel for a long time but hearing the MLB Power Pros OST in a video kicks things into a whole new gear

[@Crzysquirrel124thst]

That ending stat about Willis vs. the Mets reminded me of a weird pitcher that owned my Royals. John Danks had a career W/L record of 79-104 with a 4.38 career ERA but against the Royals in 22 games he had a 10-3 record 2.89 ERA with 140.1 IP and Danks was undefeated against KC till 2015. If you ever need a video idea you should do random pitchers that owned teams.

[@NPu2]

Love this music with baseball talk

[@DavyWhitezel]

I read somewhere that it was him struggling with anxiety that also contributed to his downfall. I been a Cubs fan my whole life and i was at the Bartman game in 03 but man this guy was fun to watch that year. Also ill never forget Matt Clements facial hair haha

[@chrisburrelljr9270]

Yeah this was back when baseball was at its hottest and people started actually watching it I remember this commercial very well

[@real_blackmamba8665]

Maaan he was one of my favorites to watch

[@mattrag4988]

As a youngster I really liked watching him. I haven’t watched baseball since really

[@patrickjoseph3412]

His wife used to shop at Safeway in North Scottsdale, was always nice to look at!!!!

[@Gemnist98]

Can you do a video on the 2002 Angels? It would tie in perfectly with your 2002 Twins and Dusty Baker videos, plus they’re probably the most underrated championship team this century.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

That three headed bullpen monster of Percival, Donnelly and a young K-Rod was lethal. And considering how inexperienced playoff wise that starting rotation was, it was needed.

[@bconns39]

!

[@Dogon_SS]

The Marlins in the late 90s & early 2000s were amazing! The MLB in general was fire 🔥

[@xavierjackson8788]

I loved the Marlins because of the logo/uniforms but also because of Willis. Loved the vid

[@yonh5350]

the vids have been hitting lately!! cant wait for the next one choot choot s/o dtrain!

[@OsceolaNola7]

Robbed of the Cy Young in 05 smh

[@ChristianCopen]

Great video as always Jolly! May I suggest you do a video on 2015 Shelby Miller. You’ll see why when you check his baseball reference page

[@fortynights1513]

Fun fact: In his 2005 season, Willis had seven complete games. No team has had more than six in a season since 2018.

[@somerandomguy5977]

To be fair managers treat pitchers like they're as soft as wet toilet paper. I mean craig counsell didn't even let burnes finish his no hitter. Literally needed one more inning. I think that says more about pitchers being underused now than overextended then.

[@tayloranderson7764]

Seeing zach dukes name reminds me of how much of a god he is in mlb power pros…. You should do a video on him

[@QwerkyCuber]

didn't he play on the Phillies?

[@jasongiannaros4091]

Love D-Train! Hope he gets a good amount of commentating time for the Dodgers again this year. He has such a warm and funny personality. Also, I love how he calls a curveball the "whooper dooper."

[@henny6566]

D-Train should have picked up a bat when his arm gave out on him. He was a career .240 hitter.

[@jameszetterman4487]

I saw him pitch in Kane County as a little kid. Everyone knew he was going places.

[@blackiekilla6545]

Can we get a Josh Hamilton video? He had one of the craziest journeys to the mlb and was one of the best players of the early 2010s. Love you content❤️

[@mattnaham8351]

One of my in-person Dontrelle Willis memories was his grand slam off of Jose Lima (RIP) at Shea ... as good of a pitcher as he was, he was also a legit threat at the plate: career .244 hitter and 9 homers. In 2007, he slashed .286/.348/.508 and had homers, triples, and doubles. Here's the blast off of Lima: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKO8hZV_qJl-rKs

[@bbystar1017x1]

Joe Robbie Stadium was a pull-hitters dream and Dontrelle made it nearly hit proof each time he was out there 🙏🏿

[@BRUCiE997]

Dontrelle willis was the goat on back yard baseball

[@coilshredder]

Every baseball fan growing up around the early 2000s had a Gary Sheffield batting stance and a Dontrelle Willis windup

[@TheTruthseeker707]

I totally forgot about this guy. Good video.

[@Mi-fj5wx]

Elite video game pitcher too. Loved d train

[@lukelang2971]

Him Pedro and RJ were my fave pitchers growing up

[@bullscott12]

Ok so this video just led me to one of the weirdest “duh” moments in my life. I’ve been watching and really enjoying Jolly’s videos since the Tapia video before last season….I’ve also been watching Jomboy for years and the warehouse league games since the beginning….until the end of this video I never realized Jolly was Jolly lol 🤦‍♂️

[@itzcheater5686]

My dad worked with his dad and they became friends because my brothers and I played ball and my older bro played pros. Dontrelle's dad gave us a rookie card of his signed by him

[@JC-ql1bq]

D-Train should never have to pay for a drink here in South Florida! Dade county legend 🚂⚾️

[@thomasguglielmo1509]

His windup and El duque were the best windups ever

[@michaelhernandez1841]

His wind up and delivery was etched in my mind

[@SomebodyHadToSayIt99]

“Most unique wind up in decades” *stares in Orlando Hernandez*

[@fortynights1513]

Ah yes, El Duque

[@ComeOnEh]

Grew up hilariously copying his throwing motion in the mirror. But my Dad would not let me copy him in games because that delivery is too hard to repeat.

[@NDTexan]

Man there wasn't a dude alive in the early 2000s who didn't try to replicate that high leg torso turn kick