Dustin Douglas Molleken (born August 21, 1984) is a Canadian former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Figh ...

, and in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. Molleken has also competed for the

Canadian national baseball team The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toronto ...

Career

Molleken attended Cochrane High School in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, and Lethbridge Community College in Lethbridge,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 15th round (435th overall) of the 2003 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the

GCL Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its ...

. After not playing in a game in 2004, Molleken spent 2005 again with the GCL Pirates, allowing 24 runs in 30.0 innings of work. In 2006, Molleken spent the season in Low-A ball with the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were ...

, pitching to a 2.51 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 13 games. He split the 2007 season between three affiliates, the Low-A

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

, the Single-A

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

, and the High-A

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

, accumulating a 3.92 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 39.0 innings for the three teams. He split 2008 between Lynchburg and Hickory, registering a 8-6 record and 6.40 ERA in 32 appearances. In 2009, he played for Lynchburg and the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

, recording a 4.02 ERA in 36 games for the teams. He remained in Double-A with Altoona for the 2010 season, pitching to a 4-4 record and 4.15 ERA in 31 games. On November 6, 2010, Molleken elected free agency.

Colorado Rockies

Following the 2010 season, Molleken signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He split the 2010 season between the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, pitching to a cumulative 5.05 ERA in 36 appearances. On November 14, 2011, Molleken re-signed with the Rockies on a minor league contract that included an invitation to Spring Training. He spent the year in Colorado Springs, and pitched to a 3-0 record and 5.18 ERA before being released to pursue an opportunity in Japan.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

On July 19, 2012, Molleken signed with the

. Molleken appeared in 23 games for the Fighters in 2012, registering a 3.27 ERA in 22.0 innings. He played in the

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

for the Fighters that year as well. In 5 appearances for the Fighters in 2013, Molleken pitched to a 3.68 ERA with 5 strikeouts.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 22, 2013, Molleken signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Molleken was invited to Spring Training with the Brewers for the 2014 season but did not make the team and was assigned to Nashville to begin the season. He pitched to a 4.84 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 74.1 innings for the Sounds in 2014 and elected free agency after the year.

Cleveland Indians

On November 18, 2014, Molleken signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

organization. He spent the season with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, pitching to a 5-3 record and 3.25 ERA in 40 appearances. On November 6, 2015, he elected free agency.

Detroit Tigers

On December 23, 2015, Molleken signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. After starting the season in Triple-A, on June 20, 2016, Molleken had his contract purchased and was added to the

25-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

when journeyman

Casey McGehee Casey Michael McGehee (born October 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Yomiuri Giants, and also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, ...

was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

. He was optioned back to Triple-A three days later without having appeared in a game. He was recalled, and made his MLB debut on July 4. Molleken pitched to a 4.32 ERA in 4 appearances for the Tigers in 2016. On November 9, Molleken elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster. He signed a new minor league contract on November 18, 2016. Molleken was assigned to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

to begin the 2017 season. On June 28, 2017, Molleken was released by the Tigers organization.

Somerset Patriots

On July 3, 2017, Molleken signed with the

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and w ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 2017, Molleken pitched to a 3-2 record and 4.18 ERA in 26 games. He became a free agent after the 2017 season. On February 23, 2018, Molleken re-signed with the

. In 2018 for Somerset, Molleken recorded a 3.90 ERA in 43 appearances.

Québec Capitales

On November 1, 2018, Molleken signed with the

Québec Capitales The Québec Capitales (French: ''Les Capitales de Québec'') are a professional baseball team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Capitales have been members of the Frontier League since the 2020 season after a merger between the Can-Am Lea ...

of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization ...

for the 2019 season. In 2019, Molleken registered a 2.51 ERA with 7 saves in 28 games. He was released on February 18, 2020.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On February 19, 2020, Molleken signed with the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (''Owls of the Two Laredos''), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (''Owls of Nuevo Laredo''), are a Minor League Baseball team based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Laredo, Texas in the Mexican Leagu ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. Molleken did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

International career

Molleken has played for the

Canada national baseball team The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toront ...

. In 2011, he participated in the

2011 Baseball World Cup The 2011 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 39th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the ...

, winning the bronze medal, and the Pan American Games, winning the gold medal. On January 9, 2019, he was selected for the

2019 Pan American Games Qualifier The 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier is a baseball tournament that was held between January 29 and February 3, 2019 in Ibiúna and São Paulo, Brazil. The tournament qualified the last four teams to the Baseball at the 2019 Pan American Games tou ...

, and later participated in the

2019 Pan American Games ; ay, Taqinipuniw anatt’apxtanxa'' , nations participating = 41 , athletes participating = 6,680 , events = 419 in 38 sports , opening ceremony = July 26 , closing ceremony = August 11 , officially opened by = Martín Vizcarra , to ...

. On October 8, 2019, he was selected for the

2019 WBSC Premier12 The 2019 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship featuring the 12 highest-ranked national teams in the world, held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It was the second WBSC Premier12 event. The championship ...

Coaching career

On August 29, 2020, Molleken joined the Prairie Baseball Academy's coaching staff as the new pitching coach.

Personal life

Molleken is the nephew of longtime

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

coach

Lorne Molleken Lorne Molleken (born June 11, 1956) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender and coach. Molleken was head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks at the end of the 1999 and the beginning of the 2000 season. He was nominally demoted to an assistant ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molleken, Dustin 1984 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball people from Saskatchewan Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2019 Pan American Games Canadian expatriate baseball players in Japan Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Clippers players Detroit Tigers players Gulf Coast Pirates players Hickory Crawdads players Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Canada Nashville Sounds players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Québec Capitales players Somerset Patriots players Sportspeople from Regina, Saskatchewan State College Spikes players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players Williamsport Crosscutters players World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2019 WBSC Premier12 players Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Canadian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Estrellas Orientales players Tigres del Licey players