David William Eiland (born July 5, 1966, in Dade City, Florida) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. On November 20, 2007, he was named pitching coach of the New York Yankees, after spending time as the pitching coach of their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

[edit] Playing career

Dave Eiland played college baseball at University of Florida and the University of South Florida. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 7th round of the 1987 amateur draft and made his major league pitching debut with the Yankees in 1987. Used mainly in spot chances, Dave played in New York for 4 seasons, winning only 5 games. He was traded to the Padres in 1992 and did not win a game in 2 seasons despite starting in 9 games. Dave was sent back to the Yankees in 1995 and played for the expansion Devil Rays for 3 seasons before retiring in 2000. Dave played for 10 seasons, won 12, lost 27 with an ERA of 5.74.

During his time with the Devil Rays, Dave Eiland acted as a body double for Kevin Costner, who played a starting pitcher, in the 1999 film For Love of the Game.^[1]

Eiland was named International League Pitcher of the Year in 1990 while playing for the Columbus Clippers with a 16-5 record and a 2.87 ERA. Eiland is the only player in Major League Baseball history to give up a home run to the first batter he ever faced and hit a home run in his very first at-bat.

[edit] Coaching career

After retiring in 2000, Eiland joined the Yankees organization and worked as a pitching coach in the minor leagues. During his tenure in the Yankees farm system, Eiland oversaw the development of such current Yankees pitchers as Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. It is speculated that his relationships with many of the young pitchers contributed to him being chosen as the new pitching coach for the Yankees. In the 2009 World Series, Eiland found himself embroiled in controversy for excessive trips to the mound. He defended himself saying, "You can't take away from the beauty of the game." He also admitted what baseball fans already know: "Sometimes, it's a momentum breaker."

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube