Dodgers announcer Dontrelle Willis thanks fans after final broadcast of season
Successful Year 1, D-Train!
![Florida Marlins v Pittsburgh Pirates](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_332/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/75/01h7g3pqy1tyc0c70t5z.jpg)
UPDATE: D-Train's not done! The legend himself responded by alerting Dodgers fans that the team informed him he's on the books for two more calls this season.
Just found out i have two more calls baby pic.twitter.com/GMhEqjQl34
— Dontrelle Willis (@DTrainMLB) August 10, 2023
Let's. Go.
Year One of Dontrelle Willis and Stephen Nelson on Dodgers calls was an unmitigated success, but based on limited scheduling, the ride appears to have come to a temporary stop this week.
After Nelson and Willis fused their fun-loving attitudes with yet another Dodgers win in the desert on Wednesday (how 'bout those Diamondbacks?!), the ex-MLB pitcher took to Twitter to thank the fans who'd supported him during his first season in the regional booth, while also announcing he'd just made his "final" call of the season.
Willis, well-known by a national audience for his studio work with FOX Sports (and, of course, his quirky windup and dominance with the mid-2000s Florida Marlins), went froman advisor role with the Dodgers to the broadcast booth on a truncated schedule midway through 2022.
2023 represented his first year working alongside Nelson, who was brought in from MLB Network this past offseason in order to take some pressure off Joe Davis as his national profile rose.
The two certainly couldn't have received a much better finale than Wednesday, as the Dodgers sent the Diamondbacks under .500 with a clean, 2-0 victory (while Walker Buehler revved up for a potential late-season return).
You & @StephenNelson absolutely crush it as a pair
— The Incline: Dodgers Podcast (@TheInclinePod) August 10, 2023
Dodgers fans give love right back to Dontrelle Willis after final game of 2023
In a heartwarming twist from the typical toxicity of Twitter (sorry, "X"), Willis' mentions overflowed with fan praise after he announced he'd be away from the Dodgers' booth for the remainder of the season.
Those compliments truly ran the gamut, from promising Vin Scully's approval to pitching Willis as an eventual permanent replacement for Orel Hershiser (not just yet, though, they're both great!).
Bottom line? Dodgers fans want more of Willis' youthful energy, but might have to get used to sharing him with a national crowd. After all, talent like this can't help but transcend boundaries.
But without Willis, who's going to tell us when a pitch is “middle middle, absolutely, super duper”?