This Day in Yankees History: Nick Swisher Pitches a Scoreless Inning

You'd be hard pressed to find another player in Yankees history that had more fun on a baseball field than Nick Swisher.

His flare was on full display throughout his four-year stint with the Bombers. That exuberant personality and consistent contagious smile returned during Spring Training when Swisher spent a few weeks in Tampa as an instructor.

Of all those moments – and of course his contributions as an everyday right fielder – do you remember when Swisher took the mound?

On this day, 11 years ago, Nick Swisher made his first and only pitching appearance from his 12-year career.

New York was down 15-5 to the Rays on a Monday night in Tampa when skipper Joe Girardi called upon the lefty outfielder to toe the rubber in the bottom of the eighth frame.

Evidently Swisher didn't want his outing to be easy. After walking Melvin Upton Jr. to start the inning, he surrendered a single to Willy Aybar to put runners on first and second. That's when the magic happened.

11 years ago today, @NickSwisher was a.....

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— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 13, 2020

Swisher got Gabe Kapler – now the manager of the San Francisco Giants – to strike out swinging on a high fastball before retiring both Carlos Peña and Pat Burrell on towering fly balls. He got out of the inning unscathed with a sparkling 0.00 ERA.

It's worth noting, this was just Swisher's seventh game as a member of the Yankees. He was acquired by New York in a trade with the Chicago White Sox shortly after the conclusion of the 2008 season. Swisher had yet to make an appearance at Yankee Stadium, where he found a home with the bleacher creatures in right, and he was already leaving a lasting impression on Bronx Bombers fans.

New York went on to lose the game by that same score, the third-most runs their pitching staff would give up all season. Even after getting trounced, Swisher was able to find a way to smile and provide some levity to the situation.

Here's a clip of No. 33 talking to reporters with ice wrapped around his left arm, courtesy of YES Network:

.@NickSwisher took the mound against the Rays on this day in 2009.

More YANKEES history: https://t.co/5CP6ow4GvC pic.twitter.com/GQLCjqhB7I
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 13, 2020

He may have only tossed one frame but Nick Swisher's one-two-three inning contributed to New York's team ERA. Only the switch-hitting outfielder and Ian Kennedy (who was just 24 years old at the time) didn't allow one run on the bump that entire season.

Little did Swisher and his teammates know, they would go on to win 103 games and a World Series six months later.

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