Carl Willis

Carl Blake Willis (born December 28, 1960) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners.

Willis played for nine seasons in the majors as a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins (with whom he won the 1991 World Series). He is best known as a pitching coach for five Cy Young winners, the second most in MLB history.

Playing career Willis was born on December 28, 1960, in Danville, Virginia. He grew up in Yanceyville, North Carolina. After high school, he attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 31st round (764th overall) of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. A year later, Willis was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 23rd round (581st overall) of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the team.

Willis made his major league debut with the Tigers on June 9, 1984, against the Baltimore Orioles, tossing scoreless innings in a 4–0 loss. He made 10 appearances (two starts) with Detroit, going 0–2 with a 7.31 ERA. He went 0–1 with a save and a 3.72 ERA in seven relief appearances to close the season. but he was returned to the Reds on April 6, 1986. He signed with the Angels on June 27, and pitched the remainder of the season in Triple-A before retiring. In nine seasons, he had a 22–16 win–loss record, 81 games finished, 13 saves, 390 innings pitched, 424 hits allowed, 210 runs allowed, 184 earned runs allowed, 28 home runs allowed, 115 walks allowed, 222 strikeouts, two hit batsmen, 20 wild pitches, 1,668 batters faced, 25 intentional walks, three balks and a 4.25 ERA in 267 games (two starts). He also posted a 1.9 career WAR according to Baseball Reference.

Coaching career Willis began his coaching career in 1997 as the pitching coach for the Rookie-level Watertown Indians. In 2005, Cleveland posted the best ERA in baseball (3.61) for the first time since 1996.

On November 30, 2009, Willis was named the Seattle Mariners minor-league pitching coordinator. On August 9, 2010, Willis was promoted to the Seattle Mariners coaching staff as the new pitching coach, replacing Rick Adair, who was fired along with manager Don Wakamatsu and bench coach Ty Van Burkleo. Willis was fired by the Mariners on November 22, 2013.

In 2015, Willis was named to be the pitching coach for the Columbus Clippers, marking a return to the Cleveland Indians organization. On May 9, 2015, Willis was named as the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, replacing Juan Nieves.

On October 26, 2017, Willis was re-hired by the Indians as pitching coach, replacing Mickey Callaway.

Willis has had five pitchers win Cy Young Awards during his time as their pitching coach: CC Sabathia in 2007, Cliff Lee in 2008, Félix Hernández in 2010, Rick Porcello in 2016, and Shane Bieber in 2020.

In May 2022, Willis assumed managerial duties for a few games after a COVID-19 outbreak within the team sidelined multiple coaches, including manager Terry Francona.