by Ken Rosenthal

For Nick Swisher, the change was far more dramatic — stunning, in fact, considering that it came in the middle of the World Series.

Swisher, benched in Game 2, completely overhauled his stance for Game 3, spreading his legs far apart in the batter's box.

So much for his 4-for-35 slump in the postseason.

Swisher went 2-for-4 in the Yankees' 8-5 victory, hitting a double to start a three-run rally in the fifth inning and a solo home run in the sixth.

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said that Swisher's new stance is the first step of a major overhaul that will continue in the offseason.

Swisher, a switch-hitter, had tried the stance in the batting cage and in batting practice in recent days, taking approximately 300 swings from each side.

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The idea, Long said, is "to eliminate movement, put yourself in better position to react to the baseball.

"Everyone knows he is a great fastball hitter," Long continued. "They've been trying to off-speed him to death. When you have a lot of motion — he has a toe tap and also a long stride — pitches are tough to see, tough to react to."

Swisher, batting right-handed, flied to right in his first at-bat against Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels. He got down 0-2 on curveballs in his second at-bat, laid off two low changeups, then hit a curve for his double to left.

Even during his slump, Swisher worked deep counts and prolonged at-bats in his familiar fashion. But his lack of positive results led manager Joe Girardi to bench him in favor of Jerry Hairston in Game 2.

Swisher said his benching was "heartbreaking," but both Long and Girardi told him to relax, watch the game, savor his first World Series experience.

In the meantime, Swisher kept working. He knew he might get another chance quickly due to the Yankees' reluctance to play designated hitter Hideki Matsui in the outfield under National League rules.

"You've got to go on feel, find the right comfort level," Swisher said. "I'm a feel guy. I've got to feel it. And I've got to give Kevin Long a lot of credit. He really helped me out."

Still, both Long and Swisher were quick to point out that a turnaround does not happen in one night.

Swisher hit 29 homers and produced an .869 OPS in the regular season, but neither he nor Long is satisfied.

Hence, the new stance.

"It's more of an offseason thing," Long said. "He lives in Scottsdale (Az.). So do I. We'll attack it in the offseason. It's a major change. To get comfortable with it usually takes time."

Rodriguez didn't require as much time after starting the Series 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. He spoke Friday about the importance of laying off bad pitches, "passing the baton" to other Yankees' hitters, if necessary. He even said an 0-for-0 night with four walks would be "perfect."

Well, Rodriguez did reach base four times in Game 3, but not quite in the way he mentioned. He twice was hit by pitches, drew a walk and hit an opposite-field home run, one that required a seal of approval from instant replay.

"It's no secret they're trying to pitch him 'in,'" Long said. "Today he got hit by a couple of pitches 'in.' Our game plan was, 'Let's get 'em on the plate. Let's not chase 'off-in'" — off the plate, inside.

Rodriguez concurred.

"I thought the first two days I got pitched to tough, but I also felt I helped out the opposing pitchers by swinging at balls that were borderline and not strikes," he said.

"The game plan today was to swing at strikes and keep them in a zone, like I've been talking about all post-season. Trust my teammates, go to first and steal a base, score on a double, whatever you have to do."

Listening to Rodriguez now, he sounds almost serene. Swisher, always emotional and bursting with energy, never will fit that description. But he, too, was humble Saturday night.

In a private conversation after the game, Swisher listed a number of family members who had been supportive — his father Steve, his mother Lillian, his step-mother Christie, his brother Mark and his girlfriend Joanna, whom he called "his princess."

In the interview room, he thanked his family again, plus his teammates, Girardi and Long.

New stance. New beginning.

"Boy, he sure looked good," Long said. "It was a step in the right direction, that's for sure."