Swisher a big contributor in Game 3
PHILADELPHIA - Joe Girardi, believing that Nick Swisher was close to breaking out of his postseason slump, had him back in rightfield last night for World Series Game 3.
Good move. Swisher was 4-for-36 with 12 strikeouts and only three walks this postseason when he came to the plate in the fifth, but he doubled off Cole Hamels and scored on Andy Pettitte's single to ignite a three-run inning that put the Yankees ahead for good. Then he homered off J.A. Happ in the sixth to give the Yankees a 6-3 lead in what would become an 8-5 victory.
After Swisher went 0-for-3 in Game 1 of the World Series, Girardi sat him in Game 2 against Pedro Martinez, in part because of Swisher's postseason struggles but also because of Jerry Hairston Jr.'s previous success against Martinez. Hairston went 1-for-3 against Martinez in Game 2.
Swisher had no history against Hamels before last night. Hairston's resume against him was 2-for-10 with a homer and a double.
But matchups and feelings about Swisher being "close" aside, Girardi wanted to stick with a player who was in the lineup most days during the season. Swisher hit 29 home runs, drove in 82 runs and walked 97 times.
"I still remember the questions about, are you thinking about sitting any of your outfielders , and two of them came out of it, and we need the third one to come out of it," Girardi said. "And he's been there all year for us and we expect him to come out of it."
Extra bases
The team winning Game 3 in a 1-1 World Series has gone on to win nine of the last 10 times, with the exception the 2003 Yankees . . . Four different ballparks have played host to World Series games in Philadelphia: Shibe Park (22), Veterans Stadium (nine), Citizens Bank Park (four) and the Baker Bowl (three).
