| Chris Hoyler. 25th September, 2005 - 8:57 pm
 In the midst of the grieving period Marlins fans have went through this past week, a true hero emerged in a season lost.
Dontrelle Willis, this one is for you.
Sometimes, there are players who completely override any statistic meant to definitively measure their performance. They may have a great ratio of base runners allowed per nine innings or home runs allowed, but you just know in your heart that this pitcher is not the guy you would want in a game that counts.
Dontrelle Willis is not that guy.
That is not to say that Chris Carpenter is, but when two pitchers are so statistically equal, you must trust your eyes to define the better pitcher, the guy who you would fear if your favorite team had to face him with the season on the line.
Dontrelle Willis is that guy.
Sometimes a pitcher’s performance is beyond his control. A manager, who for the purpose of this exercise we’ll name Jack, may decide to go beyond the realm of rational thinking and hang a bulldog pitcher out to dry in the ninth inning of the biggest game of the season, despite the fact that Jack has the three days rested option of the best closer in the league at his disposal. That pitcher, in his trustworthy nature, won’t say anything, opting instead to continue with an empty gas tank on a sweltering hot day in South Florida, putting his team and his own performance on the line.
Dontrelle Willis is that guy.
Some pitchers love to pitch with a big lead. Give a guy 5.3 runs a game and he’s an ace, he’s a Cy Young winner, he’s the reason a team has a double digit lead in their division. Sometimes, you go out there and you give your team a chance to win, but your boys just don’t pick you up when it counts. Eight innings, six baserunners, one run. Sorry, that is just not good enough, so we’ll leave 11 men on base and send you home with your eighth loss. Now, a bad pitcher would mope around and wonder what might have been.
Dontrelle Willis is not that guy.
So, what would the response of a good pitcher be, an award winning pitcher, you ask? It’s pretty simple. Over his next six starts, a good pitcher would average over 7 1/3 innings per start, throwing two complete games in the process. He would allow just seven runs in that period, letting just one baserunner on per inning. He wouldn’t leave the outcome of his starts to chance, making sure that if he is going to lose, it will be on his own volition.
Dontrelle Willis is that guy.
Oh yeah, one other thing. Over those six starts, he’d probably have a hitting line that goes something like this:
17 AB, 6 H (.352 AVG), 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 HR, 7 RBI (1 Game Winning RBI), 6 Runs Scored
That pitcher would win those six games, losing only when Jack hung him out to dry after he shut out his team’s biggest rival in the biggest game of the season for eight innings. That game, I remind you, in which Jack had the league’s best closer at his disposal, a closer who had three days of rest and thrives on pitching on a regular basis. Some other guys might point out that his manager not only hung him out to dry, but that his bad managing hung the team out to dry.
Dontrelle Willis is not that guy.
Even after that pitcher was involved in what was the worst loss of the season and possibly the worst loss in the history of the franchise, he’d take the ball again five days later. He’d go out with his team on the verge of getting swept by their opponents, who by the way happen to occupy last place in the division, and pitch one of his best games of the season. Eight innings, five hits, two walks, one run, seven strikeouts. He’d bat seventh because his offensive support is an oxymoron, going one for four in the process. He’d win the game, 2-1, saving that zombie movie script for one more day.
Dontrelle Willis is that guy.
So when you take a look at the standings and realize that the other guy pitches for the best team in the league, thus is deserving of the award, read this again. Go watch the two pitch, then tell me who the 2005 National League Cy Young Winner is.
Dontrelle Willis is that guy.
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