CHICAGO — The Cubs took a giant step toward a trip to the NLDS with Tuesday afternoon’s 3-1 win on Chicago’s North Side.

But seeds of that victory were planted back in Georgia two decades ago.

That’s when Dansby Swanson begged his parents, Cooter and Nancy, out to a field to throw him fly balls over his head.

All that practice paid off Tuesday and helped spring the Cubs to an all-important win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field.

Swanson made a game-saving, over-the-shoulder catch in the fourth inning, keeping the Padres off the board at a pivotal point in the game.

“Can’t let it drop,” Swanson said. “I mean, it’s simple as it is. I was laughing with my mom and dad [on the field after the game]. I dragged them out from watching my brother or sister’s softball game many a times to make them throw me fly balls over my head.

“So had a little bit of practice with it. We’ll give them some credit for helping me make that play today.”

The Cubs were trailing 1-0 at that point and did not want to risk falling any further behind against the Padres’ super bullpen.

“It’s not a play that you make a lot,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s just a great athlete, great instincts. The wind probably helped us a little bit there and held the ball up a little bit, but it was a beautiful play.”

That catch was actually Swanson’s second game-saving play of the day. In the second inning, he made a diving stop to hold a runner at third base and keep the Padres from expanding their lead.

“Massive,” said Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, who hit the go-ahead homer. “The game is a completely different game if those plays don’t get made.

“That’s Dansby for you. He’s gonna make those plays and he’s one of the captains out there.”

Swanson’s defensive highlights kept Padres runs off the board and allowed time for Seiya Suzuki and Kelly to hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning and give the Cubs a lead.

Those plays also helped save starting pitcher Matthew Boyd‘s day and set the Cubs pitching staff up for success for the rest of Tuesday’s game and beyond.

Counsell admitted he would have had to get the bullpen going if Swanson hadn’t made the first play and the deficit stretched to 2-0 early in the game.

Instead, Boyd was able to pitch 4.1 innings before turning it over to a Cubs bullpen that was absolutely lights out.

That gave the Cubs a potentially decisive win in Game 1 of a best-of-three series. Since MLB moved to this new format in 2022, all 12 teams that won Game 1 went on to win the wild-card series.

The Padres will play with their season on the line on Wednesday, while the Cubs will be one win away from a date with division rival Milwaukee Brewers in the divisional series.

It’s not hyperbolic to say if Swanson doesn’t make those plays, the Cubs might not be in this position.

“It was an unbelievable job by Matty Boyd to be able to limit what could have been some damage and some extra runs,” Swanson said. “It just happened to be me to make those plays today, but that’s what postseason baseball is about. You got to be able to convert outs into outs and increase your chances to win games.”

This is exactly what Swanson has been hoping to accomplish since he signed here in December 2022. He has won at every stop throughout his baseball career (including in college at Vanderbilt) but getting to the postseason with the Cubs eluded him the first two years.

Now, he’s back in the playoffs — and that long wait made the moment even sweeter.

Swanson was moved by the Cubs fans and atmosphere at Wrigley Field.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “Definitely a couple tears in the eyes before the game. It’s just such an amazing thing to be a part of, and grateful to have experienced it today. Hopefully many more to come.”