Heres how MLB captured that viral Dansby Swanson play

The viral Dansby catch in Tokyo looked like AI but wasn't. Exactly what you're seeing, explained.

Mar 18, 2025 - 23:08
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Heres how MLB captured that viral Dansby Swanson play
 Dansby Swanson #7 of the Chicago Cubs dives to field a grounder in the top of the first inning against Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on March 16, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.

Baseball social media lit up after a jaw-dropping first-inning grab by Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson during an international exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants. But it wasn’t just the play — a routine yet athletic throw to first — that had fans talking. It was the surreal replay angle that followed.

The broadcast showed an ultra-high-tech view of Swanson’s diving grab—so advanced that, for a moment, it seemed AI-generated. However, a Major League Baseball spokesperson offered a simpler explanation in an email to Mashable:

It’s a system called FreeViewpoint developed by Canon. It’s permanently installed in the Tokyo Dome with 160 cameras around the rim of the seating bowl. They essentially stitch video together to create these looks. It’s on the World Feed so every broadcaster will see these clips.

It's so good that fans are clamoring for more.