If Dansby Swanson can sense even the slightest of opportunities to improve the chances of winning, he’s going to take it, no matter the situation.

Saturday afternoon, Swanson showcased that.

In the bottom of the 8^th inning of a 9-2 ballgame, Swanson scored from first base on a single from Ian Happ, when he saw the Rangers being lackadaisical with the throw in from the outfield. Swanson raced from third to home, sliding in and celebrating with the vigor of a go-ahead run in a close ball game.

RT if the Cubs won today. pic.twitter.com/HPHzOstiIH

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 8, 2023

“I mean he just makes things happen,” Trey Mancini said. “He’s always engaged, always giving his best effort, no matter what the score. Even if we were down 9-2 in that spot, he’s gonna do the same thing. If it’s a close game, he’s gonna do the same thing. He’s the same player regardless of the situation and just a professional through and through.

“He’s out there every day, battling, doesn’t take a pitch off. It’s extremely impressive.”

And his Cubs’ teammates feed off that exuberance.

“Yeah, we’re certainly following his lead and I think we’re gonna try to take a free 90 feet any time we can,” veteran Eric Hosmer said. “That was a strong play by him to send a good message and like I said, he’s the leader of this team, we follow his lead and that was one of those there where it was cool to see.”

The play punctuated a 4-run inning for the Cubs in their 10-3 win over Texas, giving them 3 straight wins and their first series win of the season. The Cubs capitalized on 5 Rangers’ errors and had 14 hits, including 2 home runs.

“Just continue to put pressure on them, run the bases well. The Dansby last run just stands out of the character of the group,” David Ross said. “Just all that, continue to pass on to the next guy, have good at-bats. I think this offense will be really good if we continue to do that.”

That’ll set the stage for more enthusiastic moments from Swanson and the Cubs.

“I think that’s who is,” Ian Happ said. “That’s why he’s played on so many winning teams and been a part of so much. He loves this stuff. He loves being out here. He loves competing.”

Photo credit: Matt Dirksen/Cubs