ST. LOUIS — For a few stark moments in the ninth inning Sunday evening, the noise level at Busch Stadium mirrored noise levels from the past three Octobers: The stadium was almost completely silent.
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, it was silent because the Cardinals missed the playoffs. In the ninth inning Sunday, it went silent because Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson came up with the biggest hit of his professional career, a smoked first-pitch double off Cardinals closer Carlos Martinez with two outs in the ninth inning that tied the game 1-1.
DANSBY. SWANSON.
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) October 6, 2019
Ice in his veins to tie it! 😳pic.twitter.com/6DK6dmsJRN
MORE: Cards' Carlos Martinez may have pitch way out of closer role
Adam Duvall followed with a single that drove home two more, putting the Braves ahead 3-1, and when Mark Melancon shut out the Cardinals in the ninth, the Braves suddenly had a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
If Swanson had failed, they would have been down 2-1 in the series and facing possible elimination in Game 4 on Monday afternoon. But Swanson — who missed the 2018 postseason with a wrist injury — didn’t fail, and his hit helped put the Braves in control of their NLDS against the Cardinals.
“It’s awesome he did it. He works hard,” Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies said. “I’m happy it was him that did it.”
In many ways, Swanson represents the hopes and frustrations of the Braves over the past couple of years. He’s immensely talented — his Vanderbilt team won the College World Series in 2014 and in 2015, then the Diamondbacks made him the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft — but injuries and inconsistencies have kept him from reaching his potential as a professional.
Swanson opened up about that journey this spring, in a long conversation with Sporting News, about the setbacks and how he works constantly on keeping a positive approach.
“I journal every night, and usually when I journal every night it's almost like positive affirmations,” he told SN this spring. “I write things like, ‘I’m confident, and I know my work today is putting me in a position to succeed tomorrow.’ That kind of thing.”
The 2019 season has had ups and downs, too.
He had 17 homers and an .822 OPS in the first half of the season — the home runs were already a full-season career high, and that OPS was the best of his career, too. But a heel injury in late July caused him to miss almost all of August, and when he returned from the IL he struggled at the plate. He batted just .141 in his first 23 games back, though he had eight hits in his final four games of the regular season.
In Game 1 of the NLDS, Swanson came to bat in the eighth inning, with a runner on second and two outs in a game that was tied 3-3. He struck out.
In Game 3, the Cardinals made the decision to face Swanson again in a big situation. With a runner on third and two outs, they intentionally walked Brian McCann so Martinez could face Swanson.
“I love Dansby in those situations,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “I always have. That kid lives for that moment.”
And you know what happened.
“I was ready for that move,” Swanson said. “I would have been, I personally would have been surprised if they would have pitched to Mac just because of his postseason experience and everything. So I was ready from the moment I started putting my batting gloves on in the dugout.”
He was ready because, as he told SN this spring, the work he did yesterday put him in position to succeed today. And the Braves have two more chances to close out the Cardinals and move on to their first NLCS since 2001.
