CHICAGO — Dansby Swanson wore his wife’s jersey to work. The Chicago Cubs shortstop showed up to Wrigley Field on Saturday representing Mallory Swanson and the U.S. women’s national soccer team. He went down to the clubhouse and made sure the TVs were switched to the right channel, then settled into a comfortable chair and put his feet up on a small table. Even though the Swansons were 700-plus miles apart, this felt more normal.
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One year ago, a somber mood fell over the same room as Cubs players watched Mallory suffer a devastating knee injury that would prevent her from playing in the Women’s World Cup. Navigating the shock and disappointment became part of their new life.
“We had to figure it out for ourselves,” Dansby said. “That allowed us to grow so much together.”
Those emotions also led to a deeper sense of appreciation once Mallory returned to action on Saturday. The match against Japan drew a record-setting crowd of 50,644 to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, marking the largest attendance for a USWNT friendly in America and the biggest home crowd since the 1999 Women’s World Cup final.
As Dansby followed along on TV and relaxed before his game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he chatted with a group of Japanese reporters chronicling a high-profile series that featured Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. A few teammates gathered around the couches in the middle of the clubhouse. One player noticed Suzuki’s interpreter, Toy Matsushita, walking by and asked: “Who are you rooting for?” By consensus, the acceptable answer would be “Japan and No. 9.”
“It’s been such a joyful and grateful process to watch her get back on the field,” Dansby said. “I know all the work that she’s put in to be able to be where she is.”
“Once something’s taken away from you, you always have a new perspective on it,” Mallory said. “I’m very just grateful to be back in this environment, back with this team and wearing the crest because it means so much.”
Pic I took of Dansby Swanson arriving at Wrigley Field today. Got my daily wave from him and love his hoodie representing his wife Mal#cubs pic.twitter.com/MEJO5wViHZ
— Sam Bernero (@sambernero) April 6, 2024
Mallory helped guide Dansby while he weighed his options as a free agent. Dansby trusted Mallory’s instincts, remembering how she briefly enrolled at UCLA and then quickly left college for a bigger challenge in the National Women’s Soccer League. Mallory also had local knowledge from playing for the Chicago Red Stars. Dansby believes that Mallory’s achievements and sense of routine keep him grounded.
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And then one moment upended their entire first season in Chicago. Mallory was carted off the field after tearing the patella tendon in her left knee during an exhibition against Ireland.
Rehabbing from two surgeries wasn’t what the Swansons had in mind in the winter of 2022 while they enjoyed their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, joining post-dinner calls with Dansby’s representatives from Excel Sports Management to get updates on the market. The Cubs had waited anxiously for a decision after the Winter Meetings, knowing that Dansby would be busy with a wedding in Georgia and harder to reach. Signing a seven-year, $177 million contract meant Dansby would become the new face of the franchise.
In hindsight, he said, “the amount of life changes we went through” was daunting.
“Managing one can be a challenge, and we did like four or five at the same time,” he said. “Our personalities are both like we just lace them up every day and just keep going. That’s pretty much what we did the whole year. It was exhausting.”
Dansby, who built an ironman reputation by playing 162 games in his final season with the Atlanta Braves, pulled himself from an April 11 game last year at Wrigley Field. Dansby went 4-for-4 and then exited a 14-9 win over the Seattle Mariners, explaining that he had been up since 4 a.m. and felt completely drained after taking Mallory to a local hospital for surgery.
“There were so many different layers to it,” Dansby said. “There was the physical part of it. Doing what we do, in general, can be tiring. It can be a grind. That plus the emotional part of it, too, takes such a toll on your body that you don’t necessarily realize. Your soul hurts.”
Dansby laughed and said: “It’s kind of crazy to think about.”
The attention followed Dansby from Vanderbilt, where he won a College World Series title and developed into the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s 2015 draft. In his first day on the field as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, he was hit in the face by a fastball, according to an Arizona Republic report at the time, and suffered a concussion. A few months later, the Diamondbacks traded Dansby to the Braves, his hometown team, which brought about a different set of distractions. During his first season in Atlanta, the Braves lost 93 games. The 2021 World Series created a new level of pressure.
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How do you compartmentalize and do your job every single day?
“How do you do it?” Dansby said. “At times, that’s what people don’t necessarily fully realize. We’re the same as everyone else in that way, right? Our (jobs) just happen to be put on TV. But it’s the same thing. When you get here, it’s work, right?
“It makes it a lot easier when you have the relationships that we have here. When you have good relationships with people, it makes work fun. We’re so grateful to be able to play this game. It’s an ‘I get to,’ not an ‘I have to’ kind of thing. Looking at things from that grateful lens really helps in that everyday grind. Because at the end of the day, some days suck.”
Besides the home runs and the Gold Glove defense, the rebuilding Cubs needed a steady, reliable presence. Dansby earned an All-Star selection last year while pushing a team that fell one win short of making the playoffs. Mallory uniquely understood the dimensions of juggling a new marriage, a new city and a new job. Dansby laughed again and said: “Some days are incredible. Some days suck. Some days are in the middle. That’s not the point. The point is for me to be who I am and show up every day.”
(Photo of Dansby and Mallory Swanson celebrating after the Cubs beat the Brewers 4-0 on March 30, 2023: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
