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May 17, 2005
Dontrelle Willis
Today's not a bad day to head to the ballpark.
Not only will it cost you just $2 for a ticket to the upper desk, but one of this year's most dominant pitchers, Dontrelle Willis, takes the mound against the Dodgers tonight at Chavez Ravine.
This year his E.R.A. is an unbelievable 1.08 and his record is 7-0. He goes for his eighth win tonight.
Willis is one of the best stories out there. Besides this ESPN Insider story detailing this year's performance, Willis is just one of three African-American starting pitchers in the big leagues.
In a story in the archives of the Miami Herald, journalist Clark Spencer talks about how in little leagues, Willis was the only pitcher who didn't have training specialists and on-call doctors the wealthier kids could afford.
One caveat: Willis has been dominant in the early part of the past few seasons but seems to always run out of gas as he hits the early summer. May 17 may be a little too early for his struggles, but it is something to keep an eye on if you do head up to the stadium for the 7:10 p.m. start.
Posted by Ethan Lindsey at 7:03 PM
