Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was constantly prepared for every game situation throughout his time at Vanderbilt University.

“In college, we went over every play under the sun all the time,” Swanson told reporters after the Cubs’ 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

That had him ready to pull a rabbit out of his hat during the final play of the game – a heads-up, incredibly instinctual play that stymied an Arizona Diamondbacks’ rally and preserved a win for the Cubs.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, we’ll give you a quick synopsis. The speedy Corbin Carroll hit a grounder into “no-man’s” land as closer Ryan Pressly called it. Swanson and third baseman Matt Shaw charged at it, with the shortstop corralling it.  

“Just with kind of game speed, with the way he runs – no chance at first base,” Swanson told Taylor McGregor after the game.

That didn’t mean the play was over. Swanson faked a throw to first, which meant Garrett Hampson took a wide turn around third base. The Gold Glove shortstop kept an eye on Hampson, charged toward third base and tagged him for the game’s final out.

It was an incredible display of instinct and IQ.

“The three words that I’ve used [are] experienced, instinctual and athletic – I think it was the definition of those three things,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “It was just a brilliant play and it’s a play that in real-time – just think about it, he’s thinking about that play before he catches the ball.

“In that time from when it’s hit and when he catches it, is what? A second? That’s what’s running through his mind. And that’s just great instincts, man. It’s incredible and he took a good angle on him and got a really athletic guy and made a great tag.”

It preserved Pressly’s first save with his new team and the 113th of his career.

“What a ride of emotions that was,” Pressly told reporters after the game. “I was pretty pumped. He’s a great defender and he’s always got his head on a swivel, so it was pretty fun to watch. Had a pretty good view of it.”

In Thursday night’s win over the Diamondbacks, the Cubs’ hustle and baserunning prowess was showcased as a potential strength. Saturday night, it was their defense. There are elite defenders at practically every position on the diamond and yet a play like Swanson’s can highlight another way on the margins that they can continue to thrive in.

But in a way, they’re only impressive to the onlookers and not the team themselves.

“That was sick,” Pete Crow-Armstrong – who made an incredible outfield assist in the game – told reporters after the contest. “Defense is another thing that I think can be a big identity of this team this year.

“But I hate to put a damper on it, but it’s not that surprising. He makes a lot of those types of plays. He’s a very smart person and player. There was no surprise there really. That was one of those plays watching it unfold you were like, ‘Ah, that’s Dansby doing Dansby things.’”