ATLANTA -- Dansby Swanson says it felt like every time he visited Turner Field as a fan, Chipper Jones homered. Now, the suburban Atlanta native can proudly relate to what it feels like to energize the hometown fans with a dinger.
Swanson helped the Braves win for the 10th time in their past 11 games when he went deep off Colton Murray during the sixth inning of Thursday night's 5-2 win over the Phillies. It marked the rookie shortstop's third career home run, but the first he has hit at Turner Field, which will serve as the home of the Braves for just three more games.
"I guess it's pretty cool," Swanson said. "I haven't really thought about it like that. I really haven't had time to digest it. I'm always moving on to the next thing."
Swanson provided a glimpse of his plate discipline when he drew an eight-pitch walk to begin the decisive four-run eighth to seal the sweep. But his long-lasting memory from this game will come courtesy of his sixth-inning homer, which bounced off the top of the left-field wall and into souvenir land. According to Statcast™, the ball left his bat at an exit velocity of 99 mph and went a projected 378 feet.
"I'm just glad it got out. I mean, holy cow," Swanson said. "When I hit it, I was like, 'That's got to be a home run.' It kept going, and then I saw [left fielder Cody Asche] back there timing it up. I was like, 'I pray to God that gets out.'"
Swanson's two previous home runs were hit on consecutive days (Sept. 6 and 7) at Nationals Park. His first was an inside-the-park homer.