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High-Tech Highlight of Dansby Swanson Diving Play Needs to Become MLB Staple

Ryan Phillips

Highlight of a diving play from Dansby Swanson during the Chicago Cubs' 4-2 win over the Yomiuri Giants.
Highlight of a diving play from Dansby Swanson during the Chicago Cubs' 4-2 win over the Yomiuri Giants. / Via Brendan Miller on
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There's a new high-tech highlight process Major League Baseball needs to make standard moving forward.

On Sunday, the Chicago Cubs beat to the Yomiuri Giants 4-2 in an exhibition game in Japan. The spirited contest featured a phenomenal play by Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

In the bottom of the first inning, Swanson went up the middle, diving to his left to grab a grounder, popped up and threw out Elier Hernandez to save a hit for pitcher Jameson Taillon. The broadcast view made the play look excellent, but a follow-up angle was even better.

Here's the shot from Marquee Sports Network:

And here's a high-tech view shown after:

We're not 100% sure how this angle was created, but it needs to be something MLB invests in going forward.

The league needs to leverage technology to moving itself into the future. Whether it's high-tech camera angles or AI-generated views of plays, MLB has to continue improving the viewer experience.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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