Kevin Kernan

Kevin Kernan

MLB

Swisher has a blast against the Yankees

CLEVELAND — Nick Swisher always has a good time.

He really had a good time at the expense of his old ballclub and Masahiro Tanaka on Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

On an 86-mph slider in the sixth inning, Swisher unloaded, driving the ball into the right-center field breeze. By the time the ball landed in the seats, the Yankees’ 3-2 lead had vanished and the Indians were on top, 4-3. Swisher went into his fun pose. He took a long, Reggie-like look at the home run.

Then, as he went down the line, he appeared to take a long look into the Yankees dugout. The Indians were on their way to a 5-3 win over the Yankees and Tanaka.

Swisher insisted he wasn’t focused on the Yankees bench and wasn’t offering a reminder: “Hey, I used to play for you guys and won a World Series in New York.’’

“I didn’t even know who was sitting there,” Swisher told The Post. “I was looking at [first base coach] Sandy [Alomar Jr.] because I thought I had hit that ball pretty good and I thought Sandy might be up there on the line, but he was way back and the next thing you know I was looking at him like ‘Bro, where you at?’

“It was kind of twilight at that point and I was thinking, ‘Did I get that?’ ”

Swisher got it, all right. And the Indians got Tanaka, roughing him up, handing him his worst loss of the year as the right-hander allowed a season-high five runs on 10 hits and a walk over 6 ²/₃ innings. Tanaka also surrendered a home run to Michael Brantley in the seventh and has allowed home runs in six of his last seven starts.

The Indians had a great game plan: Lay off the splitter and hit what was up.

“This is the first time in the league anybody has seen him,’’ said Swisher, who signed a four-year, $56 million deal with the Indians before last season. “I wish him the best of luck, he’s got an absolutely devastating split, but I think for us we really battled. The thing about it is, tonight he really didn’t have good fastball control. He kind of grooves that fastball in there and that makes that split that much more effective.’’

Swisher, who is hitting .198, said he is not bothered that he is no longer with the Yankees, who have spent a ton of money on other players.

“I was so proud and honored to be with the Yankees,’’ he said. “We won a World Series, I was lucky enough to go to the All-Star Game. I was lucky enough to live in New York City. I love those guys so much. Hopefully when I’m walking out [Tuesday night] I will see some of those guys like I did Monday night, but for me, hey, we got a job to do and we are going to go out there and do it to the best of our ability.

“The thing I like best about this team is that it does not quit.

“In that situation right there, he loves that split-slider, he got in that two-strike count and he had been burying that split all day long, and for me, I was just lucky enough for him to hang that slider.’’

That is when Swisher had his fun.

“Swish is the ambassador for that song ‘Happy,’ ” Alomar said. “He is so much fun. And that ball did fool me, I lost it and I wasn’t up on the line and that’s why he looked back and gave me the fish-eye.’’

“The difference between us and other squads is we don’t care who is out there, we’re a scrappy squad,’’ Swisher said. “Don’t get me wrong, [Tanaka is] a tremendous pitcher, his numbers speak for themselves, but for us, man, it’s like, put Cy Young out there and we are going to fight and battle.’’

Swisher won this battle.