CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon watched a crazy final inning unfold against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon in the comfort of his office with a “full glass of Mollydooker” wine after he was ejected earlier in the ninth.

What he saw was a dramatic finish in front of an intense crowd helping the Cubs hold on for a 5-4 win.

“That was the best I’ve ever seen in a baseball game, personally,” rookie Kris Bryant said of the crowd after the game.

No one believed closer Hector Rondon was throwing at St. Louis Cardinals pinch-hitter Greg Garcia in a game the Cubs were leading 5-1, but considering the intensity of the series, Rondon and Maddon had to go to keep the peace. So they both watched from the clubhouse.

And just when the game seemed to be slipping away after the ejections, rookie Addison Russell made the play of the day, diving to his left to snare a hard shot off the bat of Steve Piscotty. He calmly flipped the ball to Javier Baez to force the tying run out at second base. Game over.

“That was a base hit the moment it left the bat,” Maddon said. “He willed his glove on the ball at the end of it. He was in that moment.”

Russell didn’t start on Saturday as Maddon has a treasure trove of depth to choose from for his starting lineup on any given day. Brought in late for defensive purposes, Russell made the play to help the Cubs draw to within five games of the first-place Cardinals.

“That’s the best play I’ve seen, given the circumstances and where we’re at in the season,” Bryant said. “To sit on the bench for eight innings and come in and make a play like that. You just can’t make these things up.”

And you can’t make up Bryant’s season either. He hit his 25th home run of the year, tying a franchise record for rookies with the great Billy Williams. He’ll undoubtedly surpass that and 100 RBI soon enough.

“He’s the Rookie of the Year,” Maddon said nonchalantly after the game.

The heroics from the home team weren’t done. Reliever Pedro Strop thought his day was over while sitting in the bullpen as Rondon entered in the ninth to finish the Cardinals off. But after Rondon's ejection, and teammate Zac Rosscup's struggles, here came Strop facing the team he has struggled mightily against this year. Five pitches into his outing he had a strikeout and an 0-2 count before allowing a sacrifice fly. Then Russell took care of the final out himself.

“I tried to simplify things,” Strop said. “I’m thinking positive, just 'go do your thing and don’t beat yourself, let them beat you.’ Instead of being picky and fine and find small spots. Just compete, that’s what I’m doing right now.”

Strop pitched a clean inning on Friday against the Cardinals to go along with Saturday’s outing, so rebuilding his confidence heading into the postseason might be something Maddon can check off his wish list of playoff preparation. One thing is for sure -- his team is peaking at the right time.

“We didn’t hold onto it earlier in the year,” Maddon said of several leads against St. Louis. “That’s the difference between then and now. I said early in the year they were outexperiencing us. Right now we’re catching up.”

It doesn’t hurt to have rookies who can produce in a big moment like Bryant and teammate Jorge Soler did, as the latter homered as well. Then there was Russell’s play to cap another dramatic win. Anyone waiting for the moment to be too big for the young Cubs might be waiting a long time. Two days of batters being hit by pitches and then subsequent ejections are only adding to the intensity and drama. The players love it.

“It’s fun,” Bryant said. “It adds to the excitement of the season. We want to win the division and we’re fighting for it. We don’t just want to settle for the wild card. We want it all.”