Eiland, Evers voted to IL Hall of Fame

Dave Eiland may be best remembered by Yankees fans as the Bombers' World Series-winning pitching coach in 2009, but the International League isn't overlooking his Minor League accomplishments.

Eiland, a dominant starter in the 1990s for three IL clubs, and former Durham Bulls manager Bill Evers were among a trio of nominees elected to the International League's Hall of Fame class of 2012, the league announced Tuesday.

Eiland, now a pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals, won 82 games for Triple-A Columbus, Charlotte and Durham during his time in the IL, some of which was spent playing for Evers, who now works as a field coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Longtime Pawtucket general manager Mike Tamburro, who helped bring the Red Sox affiliate back to life in the 80s, will also enter the Hall.

Eiland is one of three IL Hall of Famers to earn the league's Most Valuable Pitcher award, joining Tommy Lasorda and Bill Short. During the 1990s, the Yankees' seventh-round pick from 1987 led the IL in wins, strikeouts, and complete games. A member of three Governors' Cup champions, the right-hander from Dade City, Fla., posted a career mark of 82-42 with a 3.44 ERA with Columbus, Charlotte and Durham.

His best IL season came in 1990 with Columbus, when he finished 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 27 games for the Yankees' top club. In 1998, he went 13-5 with a 2.99 ERA for Durham. The 6-foot-3 starter made his Major League debut in 1988 with New York and went 12-27 with a 5.74 ERA in 92 big league games over parts of 10 seasons with the Yanks, Padres and Devil Rays. He retired in 2000.

Eiland returned to the IL in 2007 as the pitching coach for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. New York promoted him to the Majors in 2008, and he helped the team win the World Series in 2009. The 45-year-old left the Yankees following the 2010 season and joined Kansas City's staff.

Evers, the winningest manager in Durham Bulls history, led the famed club to six playoff appearances from 1998-2004. The Bulls swept a pair of Governors' Cup championships under Evers, who was a two-time member of the International League All-Star coaching staff. He left the Bulls in 2006 to join the Tampa Bay Rays' field staff.

Tamburro took over as Pawtucket's general manager in 1977 and worked with the late Ben Mondor, the team's owner, in revitalizing the struggling organization to one of Minor League Baseball's model franchises. Tamburro was named president in 1985 and has been honored five times as the IL's Executive of the Year.

The 2012 Class was voted upon by current Hall of Fame members, longtime executives, broadcasters and members of the media. All three inductees will be presented with "The Curtain Call" statue during individual enshrinement ceremonies this coming season. The Hall of Fame plaque is, according to the league, "a traveling testament to the storied legacy of the International League."