Before the Chicago Cubs popped bottles, there were a couple of important messages to deliver to the large group.

Ian Happ’s speech resonated with his Cubs teammates as he shared his emotions as the team’s longest-tenured player.

And manager Craig Counsell had a message he wanted the team to hear.

“It’s about the grind and how good we are at it,” Counsell told Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor. “It’s about how we started out at this hard place and that trip to Japan. A great trip, but a hard trip.

“And it kinda set the tone that we’re gonna do hard things this year, and that’s how the season works. Guys like Dansby [Swanson] and Nico [Hoerner] and Ian — they respond every day to that. And they celebrate each other and they love each other and that’s special.”

[WATCH: Jed Hoyer reacts to Cubs’ playoff berth]

Counsell is referring to the Cubs’ trip to Tokyo to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game series to begin the regular season in mid-March. The Cubs ended up being swept in those two games, but they still came away feeling like it was a successful trip.

Counsell’s pitching coach, Tommy Hottovy, agrees.

“When we went to Japan, I know we lost the two games there, but there was just a different vibe about the group,” Hottovy told McGregor. “We had that camaraderie that I think means a lot. When you start going through adversity, that’s when you really see what you have as a team. Just really happy with how these guys performed.”

“When we went to Japan … there was just a different vibe about that group. We had that camaraderie.”

Tommy Hottovy on when he knew this team was special 👏 pic.twitter.com/HgWia6OCjX

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 17, 2025

The Cubs certainly went through adversity, as they lost co-ace Justin Steele for the season in mid-April after he made just four starts. Shota Imanaga began the year as the team’s Opening Day starter and then missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury.

[WATCH: Nico Hoerner celebrates Cubs’ first playoff berth since 2020]

Counsell appreciates the way his team has handled the grind of the season and how they can celebrate each other’s successes.

But he and the Cubs know there is more work to be done.

“The playoffs is where the fun happens,” Counsell said. “I’m so happy for all the people in the room, the guys that are going for the first time. The goal is not complete yet during the regular season.

“We want to host games at Wrigley. We want to play our first playoff game at Wrigley. That’s really important. And so we got a lot of work to do left for that. But we’re gonna have some fun today.”

[READ: Pete Crow-Armstrong sends Cubs fans sincere message before MLB playoffs]

The Cubs hold a five-game lead on the San Diego Padres for the top NL Wild Card spot with 10 games left to play.

If the standings hold up, the Cubs would host the Padres at Wrigley Field for a best-of-three Wild Card series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 30.