Dansby Swanson is always locked up.

While many of his Cubs teammates were unaware they were involved in a no-hitter, the two-time Gold Glove shortstop was well aware of the situation.

He did, however, have a brief bout when he nearly ran off the field earlier in the game in an inning with only two outs – “my mistake,” he said with a smile.

But he knew what was at stake for his pitchers and the team overall.

When Craig Counsell made some changes in defense during the clear 12-0 victory to rest some of the regular players, Swanson didn’t want to give up the game.

“That’s one of the main reasons why I ultimately wanted to stay in the game, just to finish it,” Swanson said.

Complete coverage of the no-hitter
–WATCH: The final out as the Cubs put the finishing touches on the no-no
–Every out from the 2nd combined no-hitter in franchise history
–Shota Imanaga was unaware of the no-hitter during the outing
–Craig Counsell explains the thought process behind eliminating Imanaga from the game
–Amaya and Hodge react after the last exit
–Analyzing the epic pitching performance of Imanaga, Pearson and Hodge
–The last out in every Cubs no-hitter since 2008
–Alex Cohen and Jim Deshaies summarize no-hitter
–Pat Hughes’ call for the last out
–Miguel Esparza’s announcement of the final in Spanish

In the second half of the 7th inning, Patrick Wisdom was used as a pinch hitter for Ian Happ and remained in the game in left field.

After the 7th inning, Luis Vázquez replaced Isaac Paredes at third base, Miles Mastrobuoni replaced Nico Hoerner at second base, and Mike Tauchman replaced Cody Bellinger in right field.

Around the same time, the Cubs coaching staff approached Swanson and asked him to opt out of the game, but the veteran – who has been playing every day during the playoffs for some time – declined.

“They said, ‘Hey, you guys are done,'” Swanson said. “I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ I was like, ‘Think about it. I can’t say. Think about it.'”

Swanson had already had an outstanding day at bat with three hits, including a single, a double and a home run – so he was approaching the cycle.

“I think at first they thought it was more about making a three-pointer,” Swanson said. “And I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I can run that far.’

“It was more about defense. And yeah, it was really cool (to be there). … I got my way.”

It was good that the Cubs kept Swanson in the game, as he caught all 3 balls in the 9th inning – including the last out.