Dansby Swanson hits home run after slide leaves him bloodied: "Third time in my career I've been attacked by my own helmet"

When the Chicago Cubs scooped up star shortstop Dansby Swanson this offseason, they knew they were signing a player who is as hard-nosed as he is finessed.

Swanson, who spent the last seven seasons of his career with the Atlanta Braves, inked a seven-year deal worth $177 million with the Cubs this past offseason. He has already been an impact player for his squad.

On May 1, Swanson and the Cubs were in Washington to finish up a three-game set with the Nationals. After dropping the first two games of the series and the last three overall, the Cubs were desperate to get something going offensively.

In the top of the third inning, with the Nats ahead 2-1, Dansby Swanson swatted a 1-2 delivery from Nats pitcher MacKenzie Gore to left center field. As the outfielders swarmed towards the ball, Swanson's eyes became as big as saucers as he rounded first and dove headfirst into second baseman Luis Garcia.

Although he was called safe, observers soon noticed a gash on Swanson's face where the helmet had impacted him. Dansby Swanson was left on and picked things back up in the fifth inning, taking Gore 389 feet to center field and putting the Cubs ahead over the Washington Nationals 4-1.

The Chicago Cubs would go on to win the game by a score of 5-1 and snap their losing slide. Swanson is considered a tank, appearing in all but two of his teams' scheduled games over the past two seasons. Following his performance, Swanson chuckled at his helmet-induced injury.

“Third time in my career I've been attacked by my own helmet,” Swanson said. “I’m 0-for-3 in terms of wins against the helmet."

"DANSBY SWANSON WITH #2 ON THE YEAR!" - Cubs Zone

Although massively popular among Atlanta Braves fans, Swanson cited his wife, pro soccer player Mallory Pugh, as a reason for choosing Chicago. Pugh plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League.

Dansby Swanson's headfirst approach is what his team needs

Ever since their fairytale World Series win in 2016, the Cubs have had trouble getting it going.

While Swanson is himself hitting .301/.419/.398 this season, the Cubs are still lagging in third place in the NL Central. Although Swanson cannot be relied upon exclusively, you cannot deny that his in-your-face style of play certainly improves his team's viability.