NewsQ&A with Nick Swisher
Savoring the moment of first World Series home run
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
11/01/09 3:06 AM EST
PHILADELPHIA -- Taking over as the Yankees' starting right fielder in April, Nick Swisher fit right into the potent lineup, bringing a patient switch-hitting approach that saw him become one of five Bombers to belt 25 or more home runs while driving in 82 runs for the American League champions.
MLB.com: Is it safe to assume you've probably waited your whole life to be able to say you hit a World Series home run?
Swisher: Dave Eiland actually came up to me after that at-bat. I sat down and I was just trying to soak up the moment as much as I could, but it's hard when you're in the game. He pulled me aside and said, "Hey, man, I just want to let you know -- you just hit a home run in the World Series." It still hasn't set in, I really don't think it has. That's the great thing about this team. You buy into everything, and for us, we're so focused and so driven on one goal. When this season is over and you sit back in the offseason, then I think that's when it will set in. Right now, it's all about business. You've got to keep putting up the W's, especially against a great team like these guys.
MLB.com: It looked like you were kind of trying to savor that moment with a slow trot around the bases. Were you?
Swisher: I was trying to. When it left my bat, I had a pretty good idea that it was going to leave. Against a guy like [J.A.] Happ, who has a good slider and a good changeup and throws hard, I just kind of got caught up in that moment at the time. Circling the bases was a great feeling, and then I pointed to my family.
MLB.com: Did you think it was going to be important early to take this hostile Philadelphia crowd out of the game?
Swisher: It's the biggest thing. Yankee Stadium is the same thing. Both teams feel extremely comfortable at home, but to be able to get Game [3 in Philadelphia] is huge for us.
MLB.com: What do you think a game like this one in this postseason does to turn things around for you?
Swisher: I've been saying it for a while, one hit kind of turns this thing around. Not only that, like I've said before, I really have to give my teammates and the staff and everyone a lot of credit. They have really helped me through this tough time. Some people have been saying mean things and this and that. That comes with the territory. I can take my beatings. Right now, it just makes this so much sweeter. Not only that, but to have my dad, my stepmom, my mom was here tonight. My lady was here tonight, Joanna [Garcia]. My brother was here. To be able to share this moment with them when I get back to the hotel, I think, is going to be the greatest part about it.
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
