New York Yankees pitching instructor Dave Eiland must feel like a proud Papa, seeing his pupils Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy all succeeding at the Major League level. Eiland knows what it's like first hand to be a successful minor league Yankee pitching prospect.

Dave Eiland's success started while pitching in my town in 1988 for the Double-A Eastern League Albany Colonie Yankees, going 9-5 with a 2.56 ERA. That 1988 season of course was also the same season Eiland made his New York Yankee debut getting a cup of coffee appearing in three games.

While Eiland had varied success and rode the "Columbus shuttle" between Triple-A and the majors, he had his most stellar season of record in 1990. That season for the Clippers Eiland who possessed a good sinking fastball, was named a Triple-A All Star and the Most Valuable International League Pitcher. Eiland led the league in wins with 16, complete games with eleven, shutouts with three, ranked third with an ERA of 2.87 and struck out 96.

Though Eiland spent most of his Yankee career on the elevator between the majors and the minors along with a return cameo in 1995, his experience and knowing what it takes to succeed on each of those levels has helped so greatly the Yanks decided to give him another September call-up, where his continued guidance of Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy has paid off big time.

Also a little fun note of baseball knowledge Yankee fans may or may not have known about Dave Eiland if you want a great baseball trivia question. Dave Eiland remains the only pitcher/player to allow a homer to the first batter he ever faced and the first to also in his first at bat hit a homer off the first pitcher he ever faced. Eiland in his call-up in 1988 for the Yanks surrendered a leadoff homer to the Milwaukee Brewers Paul Molitor. Four years later in 1992 while playing over in the National League for the San Diego Padres in his first major league plate apperance ever, Eiland homered off of the Los Angeles Dodgers Bobby Ojeda. How about that?