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Stop picking on Nick Swisher, you guys. He's a sensitive man, and he's getting his feelings hurt.
The Yankees outfielder is in the midst of (another) postseason slump, and it should surprise no one that he's been hearing it from Yankees fans who expect much more out of their team.
Swisher, a career .167 playoff hitter, is hitting just .154 (4-for-26) with eight strikeouts in seven playoff games this fall. In 35 playoff games in his Yankees career, Swisher has hit .159 with 36 strikeouts.
Yankees fans have seen enough, and they're not afraid to tell Swisher how disappointing he has been — which has kind of been hurting Swisher's feelings.
"As the game progresses, you're trying to go up there and get a hit," Swisher said, according to the New York Daily News. "If you don't, people let you know about it. It's a tough spot. Hey man, I guess that's playing in New York. … That's New York for you. It's a crazy game. Being here in New York, obviously there's a lot of expectations. I don't know what to say, bro. I'm just going to kind of let it go."
Sounds tough, bro. Anyway, Swisher didn't actually let it go there, though.
"That's the last thing I ever thought would be in this ballpark, that people would get on you that bad," he said. "Especially home, where your heart is, where you've been battling and grinding all year long. It's just frustrating, man. You never want to be in that spot. It's not like you're trying to go out there and do bad on purpose. It's just tough, man."
Again, sounds tough, man.
"It hurts," Swisher told reporters. "Sometimes I'm a sensitive guy, and some of the things people say, they get under your skin a little bit. I've been lucky to be here for the past four years, bro. We're not going to go out like this. We're going to go to Detroit and give everything we've got."
Want Swisher to turn things around, Yankees fans? He just needs a hug, bro.
"I'm one of those guys that if you give me a hug, I'll run through a brick wall for you, man. … It's tough. It's really tough. You want to go out and play for your city, play for your team. Right now, it's just really tough."
Swisher is set to become a free agent this offseason, an offseason that may be right around the corner as the ALCS shifts back to Detroit with the Yankees trailing the Tigers 2-0.
It could have been worse for Swisher, if Yankee Stadium was full>>