Good morning, Chicago.

Andrew Kittredge made sure to take a moment on the mound to soak in the atmosphere before he threw his first pitch.

The 40,895 raucous fans packed into Wrigley Field evening were on their feet, radiating anxious tension as the Cubs' last two outs seemed elusive to finish off the Padres. The veteran reliever, called on in the biggest moment of a win-or-go-home Game 3, retired the Padres' Freddy Fermin and Jake Cronenworth to strand the runners on second and third, saving the Cubs' 3-1 win and advancing them in the postseason for the first time since 2017.

"It was an awesome feeling, such a fun team, such a fun environment, " Kittredge told the Tribune "This is what it's all about."

The Cubs used a quintessential formula Thursday that had turned them into one of the best teams in the NL and put them in this position: stellar pitching, elite defense and a methodical offensive approach with timely hits to beat the Padres to advance to the NL Division Series against the Brewers, their division rivals and owners of baseball's best record.

The Cubs entered Thursday 6-13 at Wrigley Field in elimination games, including 0-3 in winner-takes-all games. Those previous win-or-go-home losses occurred in the 1945 World Series, 2003 NL Championship Series and 2018 wild-card game. They were 4-4 overall in such games, with their last win coming in the 2017 NLDS at the Washington Nationals.

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