There are things Nick Swisher has been hearing from the fans at Yankee Stadium the last few days that, to him, are unprecedented.
“A lot of people saying a lot of things I’ve never heard before,” Swisher said last night. “Prime example – I missed that ball in the lights [in Game 1] and next thing you know I’m the reason that Jeter got hurt. It’s kind of frustrating. … They were saying [Jeter’s injury] was my fault.”
Swisher is one of the most popular players among the Stadium’s fans, but the crowd has been on him for his postseason struggles. And the right fielder admitted after yesterday’s 3-0 ALCS Game 2 loss to being disappointed by the fans’ reactions.
“It hurts,” he said. “Sometimes I’m a sensitive guy. Some of the things people say, they get under your skin a little bit but hey, I’ve been lucky to be here for the last four years, and we’re not going to go out like this.
“I’m one of those guys that you give me a hug and I’ll run through a brick wall for you. Right now it seems like there’s a lot of … I’m trying to find a way to word this the right way, it’s tough. It’s really tough. Because you want to go out there and you want to play for your city, you want to play for your team. Just right now, it’s just really tough.”
Swisher was dropped to eighth in the lineup yesterday — the lowest he’s batted since last season — thanks mainly to his ranking as one of the least productive postseason players in recent history. Yesterday Swisher had an infield single, but struck out twice, and this year in the playoffs he is a miserable .154 (4-for-26) with eight strikeouts.
In his postseason career Swisher is batting .167 (25-for-150) with 44 strikeouts.
“It’s not about me,” Swisher said when asked about his struggles this postseason. “It’s about the team.”
Swisher did praise the fans for helping support the Yanks to 27 World Series titles.
“But to go through a stretch like this where it’s kind of a negative attitude, a negative-type setting, that’s tough,” he said. “But, hey, it’s part of the game. Rightfully so. There’s a lot of expectations here, and I guess when you don’t get the job done, you’re going to hear about it.
“That’s the last thing that I ever thought would be in this ballpark, that people would get on you that bad, especially your home, where your heart is, where you’ve been battling and grinding all year long. It’s just frustrating.
“You never want to be in that spot. It’s not like you’re trying to go out there and do bad on purpose. It’s just tough.”