Rafael Jose Dolis Hernandez (born January 10, 1988) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Kōchi Fighting Dogs The are a baseball team in the Shikoku Island League Plus of Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan ...

of the Shikoku Island League Plus. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

Dolis began his professional career in 2006 pitching for the

AZL Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...

, going 0–2 with an 8.28 ERA in 13 games (three starts). In 25 innings of work, he struck out 33 batters. He pitched for the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

in 2007, going 3–1 with a 1.80 ERA in six starts. After not pitching in 2008, Dolis pitched for the

Daytona Cubs Daytona may refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach, Florida * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Daytona, the region around Daytona Beach Motor racing * Day ...

in 2009, going 3–9 with a 3.79 ERA in 27 games (25 starts). On November 20, 2009, the Cubs added Dolis to their

40-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, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Dolis began the 2010 campaign with Daytona, recording a 2.92 ERA across 14 games (13 starts). He also made 12 starts for the Double–A

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

on the year, logging a 5–4 record and 4.07 ERA with 45 strikeouts across innings pitched. Dolis returned to Tennessee in 2011, compiling an 8–5 record and 3.22 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 17 saves across 51 appearances. Dolis made Chicago's

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster in 2012. However, he was demoted to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, in May after compiling a record of 2–4 with an ERA of 4.73. On the season, Dolis registered a 6.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 4 saves across 38 innings of work. In 2013, Dolis made five scoreless appearances for the Cubs, recording no strikeouts in five innings pitched. On October 9, 2013, Dolis was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Iowa.

San Francisco Giants

On December 30, 2013, Dolis signed a minor league deal with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. In four games for the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, he struggled to a 16.62 ERA with 4 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 26, 2014, Dolis was released by the Giants.

Detroit Tigers

On December 5, 2014, Dolis signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2015. During the 2015 season, Dolis pitched in 43 games out of the bullpen and posted a 7–5 record with one save, a 4.61 ERA and 54 strikeouts for 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 baseball team nicknamed the ...

. On December 8, 2015, Dolis re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league contract with an invite to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. However, he was released on January 15, 2016, in order to pursue a playing opportunity in Japan.

Hanshin Tigers

On January 18, 2016, Dolis signed with the

(NPB). In 2016, Dolis pitched 34 innings of 2.12 ERA ball for the Tigers. On December 2, 2016, he became a free agent. On February 22, 2017, Dolis re-signed with the Tigers. In 2017, Dolis pitched 63 innings for the Tigers with a 2.71 ERA. After the season, on December 11, 2017, he re-signed with the Tigers with Marcos Mateo. In 2018, Dolis pitched to a 2.85 ERA in 53 innings. On December 2, 2018, he became a free agent. On December 12, 2018, he re-signed with the Tigers. In 2019, his last year with the Tigers, he had a 2.11 ERA in 55 innings of work. In his four years with the Tigers, Dolis had a 13–18 record, 2.49 ERA, 96 saves, and 227 strikeouts in 206 innings. On December 2, 2019, he became a free agent.

Toronto Blue Jays

On February 8, 2020, Dolis signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the

. His contract includes a club option for the 2021 season. On July 24, 2020, Dolis made his Blue Jays debut and on August 19, 2020, he recorded his first MLB save since 2012. With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, Dolis appeared in 24 games, compiling a 2–2 record with 1.50 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched. In 32 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2021, Dolis posted a 2–3 record with a 5.63 ERA and 39 strikeouts. On August 18, 2021, Dolis was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. On August 20, Dolis cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. On October 4, Dolis elected free agency.

Chicago White Sox

On April 29, 2022, Dolis signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He made 28 outings for the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, registering a 5.02 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings pitched. Dolis was released by the White Sox organization on September 8.

Pericos de Puebla

On January 13, 2023, Dolis signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 25 appearances, he posted a 1–3 record with a 6.56 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Dolis was waived on July 10.

Kōchi Fighting Dogs

On April 8, 2024, Dolis signed with the

of the Shikoku Island League Plus.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolis, Rafael 1988 births Living people Arizona League Cubs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Estrellas Orientales players Fresno Grizzlies players Hanshin Tigers players Iowa Cubs players Kane County Cougars players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Peoria Chiefs players Pericos de Puebla players Tennessee Smokies players Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Blue Jays players