MLB

A very costly ‘Swish’ miss for Yankees

Nick Swisher showed he’s not just capable of looking bad at the plate in the playoffs, as his misplay in right field led to the winning run in the Yankees’ 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Seemingly in position to make a running catch on Delmon Young’s liner off David Phelps, Swisher suddenly made a lunging motion and missed the ball entirely, the result, he said, of losing the ball in the lights.

“I thought I had a great jump on it and it caught up right in those lights and I just went completely blind,” Swisher said. “It kind of handcuffed me, but I didn’t even see it last the last five or 10 feet.”

With Swisher tumbling in the outfield, Miguel Cabrera came around to score easily.

“It’s a helpless feeling because you want to make that play,’’ Swisher said. “I’ve made that play a bunch of times before, I just wasn’t able to make it tonight.”

Phelps, who took the loss, wouldn’t blame Swisher.

“It would have been a great play,” the right-hander said. “It’s not a play you expect him to make.”

BOX SCORE

Still, it wasn’t the only time Swisher was unable to come up with a Young fly ball, costing the Yankees a run in the loss.

In the sixth, Young sent a fly ball to shallow right and Swisher came in, but opted not to dive for it. The single scored Cabrera and gave Detroit a 2-0 lead.

“That was a tough call,” Swisher said of the play in which he got caught in-between. “If I dive and miss that ball, maybe there’s runners on second and third, but looking back, maybe it would have been a good idea.”

Not much has gone right for Swisher this time of year since he joined the Yankees.

Last night, he went 1-for-5 with a walk and a double and he’s now hitting .200 in the postseason.

“Collectively, we just couldn’t get it done,” Swisher said.