now THIS was a game!

Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:08 am EDT

Morning Juice: Now pitching for the Yankees ... Nick Swisher?

By David Brown

This and every weekday a.m. during baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Roll Call starts in St. Petersburg, home of the Tsar defending American League champions. The Rays hosted the Evil Empire's Nick Swisher, who came into the game leading the league in OPS and ended it on the mound.
Game of the Day: Rays 15, Yankees 5
Raise the banners, shield your eyes: The AL's best met the AL's priciest and celebrated its amazing 2008 season by busting out the whoopin' stick against the Yankees. Answer Man Carlos Pena hit a grand slam and drove in six, B.J. Upton made like Willie Mays in center field and Scott Kazmir edged ever closer to mastering his seventh-inning phobia.
"We showed everything," Carl Crawford said.
The Yankees were at such a loss, Swisher switched from first base to pitcher for the eighth inning.
Ace in the hole: The Bronx wrote $423 million worth of checks in the off-season and it was not enough, apparently, to cover the tab for a full pitching staff. Unlike the other Yankees hurlers — Chien-Ming "28.93 ERA" Wang, Jonathan Albaladejo, Edwar(d) Ramirez and Phil "Smile and A" Coke — Swisher was able to keep the Rays off the scoreboard. Here's how the eighth went for Swisher, batter by batter:
— B.J. Upton walked
— W. Aybar singled to left, B.J. Upton to second
— G. Kapler struck out swinging
— C. Pena popped out to second
— P. Burrell flied out to center
Swisher, as usual, took it all with a sense of humor. He's been a godsend, or at least a Kenny Williams-send, since coming over from the White Sox in an off-season trade. Little went right for Swisher in Chicago, but he's ahead in the Yankees' Quadruple Crown race: batting average (.450), home runs (three), RBI (10) and ERA (0.00). Is he the greatest Yankee ever?
Swisher, who hadn't pitched since he was a high-school freshman, says:
"I had fun with it. When am I ever going to have a chance to do that again? Probably never. We know we didn't play very well. Got to find something to laugh about in that moment. I just happened to be the guy."

Never see a Tigers infielder; outfielder; catcher; or DH pitch in a game

Thanks to Leyland


AKA

Captain Dentures

Leyland sucks and is an arrogant asshole for life

Joe G made an interesting call, but we loose that move with Nady's injury, unless we start Melky.