Sunday, November 01

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MIAMI -- Few ballplayers made more of an impact on baseball in South Florida than the D-Train.

Dontrelle Willis, who helped spark the 2003 World Series-winning ballclub as a rookie midseason callup, was a two-time All-Star during his five-year tenure and remains in the Top 5 in various franchise pitching categories. Today, he joins former teammate Josh Beckett as members of the 2026 Marlins Legends Hall of Fame class.

The Marlins Legends Hall of Fame, which was created last year, annually honors former players, coaches, managers and staff members for their significant achievements and contributions to the organization and South Florida community.

Let’s take a look at Willis’ Top 5 performances in a Marlins uniform:

1. June 16, 2003 
The first of seven career shutouts came in Willis’ eighth career start, which was a 1-0 victory over the Mets at Pro Player Stadium. The 21-year-old Willis tossed a one-hitter, with the lone blemish being Ty Wigginton’s ground-ball single to left with one out in the fourth. From there, Willis retired the final 17 batters in a 109-pitch outing. He walked one and struck out eight.

2. Sept. 10, 2006
Willis’ final career shutout also included a career-high-tying 12 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over the Phillies at Dolphins Stadium. Willis scattered three hits -- all singles -- against a Philadelphia lineup that featured the likes of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell. He walked one and hit another in a 122-pitch start.

3. 2005 season
This is cheating. Willis, who finished as the 2005 National League Cy Young Award runner-up, led the Majors in wins (22), complete games (seven) and shutouts (five). All five of those shutouts rank third through seventh in his career when it comes to game score. Among those, his 4-0 win over the Phillies on April 13 at Dolphins Stadium stands out. Willis allowed three hits -- all singles -- with one walk and seven strikeouts.

4. Oct. 4, 2003 (National League Division Series Game 4)
This game is better remembered for the series-clinching play, when Pudge Rodriguez held onto Jeff Conine’s throw from left field on a home-plate collision with J.T. Snow. While Willis didn’t get it done on the mound, allowing five runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, he put together one of the best hitting performances for a pitcher. Willis went 3-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, with his three hits tying for the most by a pitcher in postseason history.

5. Oct. 18, 2003 (World Series Game 1)
Willis’ regular-season success (3.30 ERA) didn’t carry over into the postseason’s first two rounds (12.00 ERA), so the Marlins used him as a reliever in the Fall Classic. With the Marlins clinging onto a one-run lead with one out and a runner on first in the sixth, Willis bridged the gap to closer Ugueth Urbina by recording seven outs in a 3-2 victory at the old Yankee Stadium. He would also pitch a scoreless eighth in a Game 5 win.

Tyler Phillips spoke about fatherhood during a baseball season and more.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Gustav Forsling and his family returned to loanDepot park for Tuesday’s game between the Marlins and Mets.

This past January, Forsling and the Florida Panthers hosted the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at the home of the Marlins in the first National Hockey League outdoor jewel event held in the Sunshine State.

Forsling, who is from Sweden, had never seen a baseball game until Tuesday, so he and his son, Bo, took advantage of the opportunity. They stopped by the Marlins’ pregame clubhouse and then threw out ceremonial first pitches to closer Pete Fairbanks.

“This is the way it should be, right?” Forsling said of the diamond rather than ice. “It's cool to see how they have it here and talk with some of the guys. It's awesome. They were so nice.”

Fairbanks, who had spent his previous seven seasons with the Rays, is based on the west coast of the state and caught Tampa Bay Lightning games over the years. He attended a Panthers home game with a few Marlins teammates during Spring Training.

“Seems like a pretty cool dude,” Fairbanks said of Forsling. “Hopefully, I can convince [my wife] Lydia that we should come down for a Panthers-Bolts game or whenever they go up there next year now that I've been on both sides of it.”

• Javier Sanoja is proving to be more than a utility player thanks to a daily competition with assistant hitting coach Chris Hess. More >>

 
• Marlins top pick Jacob Lombard homered in three straight games for Single-A Jupiter, which advanced to the Florida State League Finals. More >>

• This final stretch could be a way to give younger players a chance to audition for 2027. More >>

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