It was a better day for Swisher than Ichiro

It's a rare day when Nick Swisher - he of the sunniest disposition in the Yankees' clubhouse - is burdened by rainy skies. And that certainly was the case Sunday .

The rightfielder's jovial attitude seemed to contribute to his good karma in the Yankees' 10-0 win over Seattle at the Stadium in a game delayed 57 minutes by foul weather after the top of the sixth. Swisher even outshined his Mariners counterpart, future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.

Swisher scored two runs, threw out Franklin Gutierrez at the plate in the fifth to preserve a one-run lead and made a cameo at first base, replacing Mark Teixeira late in the game.

He began the day by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play, but the ever-positive Swisher didn't let it get him down.

With the Yankees leading 1-0 and rain posing a threat, Gutierrez doubled to begin the fifth and Adam Moore hit a one-out single to right. As Gutierrez ran through coach Lee Tinsley's stop sign, Swisher charged the ball and made a strong throw to the plate. Jorge Posada made a nice scoop and swiped at Gutierrez just before his hand crossed the plate.

Posada actually tagged Gutierrez with an empty glove - the ball was in his bare hand - but that's a minor detail for Swisher. With the storm rapidly approaching, he was more concerned about preserving the lead. And one out later, it became an official game.

"We were just saying we need to score one run and get three quick outs because we heard it was going to be raining,'' Swisher said. "That was a great play [by Posada]. I gave him a big hug after that.''

After Derek Jeter walked with one out in the inning, Swisher lined a drive to deep right. Nine-time Gold Glover Ichiro went back and leaped, but it popped out of his glove even before his back smashed into the wall. Ichiro bobbled it while trying to pick it up, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Swisher was credited with a single and Ichiro was charged with an error.

Teixeira then drew an intentional walk and Robinson Cano hit a grand slam for a 5-0 lead.

Ichiro's day got worse in the sixth when Eduardo Nuñez's hard ground single stopped dead in a puddle in shallow right; by the time Ichiro splashed his way to the ball, Nuñez was on second.

Later, Swisher made his third appearance at first base this season. He said he'll play anywhere on the field.

"Who cares?'' he said when asked about conditions after the rain delay. "You're playing a game you love. I don't care if it's 10 feet of water out there. It rained for damn near all day; of course there's going to be puddles on the field.

"But what a double, though, right? That was impressive.''