Okay, it April 11 (2019) and I am looking out of the windows of my Roseville, Minnesota home at a blizzard (snow, wind, rain, sleet and even hail) that has closed schools, roads and even businesses. I did brave the weather to retrieve my morning paper from a snowbank – I prefer my box scores be accompanied by the scents of hot coffee and newsprint.
At times like these, I console myself by thinking “baseball” and pursuing baseball oddities. Certainly that beats reflecting on yesterday’s Twins’ game, when the boys gave up six runs on two hits, six walks and a hit batsman in the fifth inning of a 9-6 loss to the Mets – talk about a blizzard of wildness. Hence, today’s trivia question … which you’ll find below the wintry photo.
Who is the only player to both surrender a home run to the first MLB batter he faced and hit a home run in his first MLB appearance as a hitter. Hint: Although it may not help (except perhaps to date the player in question), this player acted as the body double for Kevin Costner in the 1990 movie “For the Love of the Game.” Also, this player is in the International League Hall of fame.
The answer is right-hander Dave Eiland, who made his debut with the Yankees on August 3, 1988. Eiland actually pitched a pretty good game against the Brewers that day – giving up just one run on three hits and two walks (three strike outs) over seven innings. The first batter he faced was future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, leading off and playing third base for the Brew Crew. Molitor popped a 1-2 pitch for a home run – and the only run Eiland would surrender that day.
Fast forward to 1992. Eiland had been released by the Yankees and signed (as a free agent) by the Padres. In the National League, of course, he found himself not just on the mound, by (for the first time) in an MLB batter’s box. In his very first at bat (April 10, 1992), Eiland took the Dodgers’ Bob Ojeda deep to left-center for a two-run home run. Eiland pitched four scoreless innings in the 8-3 Padres’ win, but did not get the decision. Note: Eiland would go 2-for-22 as a hitter in his MLB career – scoring twice and driving in two.
Here’s a bit more on Eiland. He was an all-around athlete, playing baseball, football, basketball and golf in high school. He received a athletic scholarship to the University of Florida (where he played football) in 1985 and transferred to the University of South Florida in 1986 (focusing on baseball) – where he earned All-Sun Belt Conference recognition.
The Yankees’ seventh-round draft choice in 1987, Eiland pitched in ten MLB seasons (1988-91 and 1995 for the Yankees; 1992-93 for the Padres; 1998-2000 for the Devil Rays). Eiland went 12-27, with a 5.74 earned run average in an MLB career cut short by a pair of Tommy John surgeries. While he didn’t find great success in the major leagues, Eiland did make a mark in the minors. In 1990, he was named the International League Pitcher of the Year and the Yankees’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year after going 16-5, 2.87 for Columbus (27 games/26 starts). In 2012, he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame. His International League record was 82-42, 3.44. Overall, he pitched parts or all of 14 seasons in the minors, going 109-58, 3.42.
Eiland’s pitching expertise is exemplified by the fact that he has gone on to a successful MLB coaching career (Yankees 2008-10; Royals 2011-17; Mets 2018-current); notably serving as the pitching coach for the 2009 World Champion Yankees.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; NationalPastime.com
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