CHICAGO — Way back in April, after the Cubs last played the Padres in San Diego, Daniel Palencia went over to Manny Machado and asked for a signed jersey from the seven-time All-Star with over 2,000 hits in his career.

“What he’s done in this game is incredible,” Palencia said. “Of course, I’ve seen him as a kid and for me, it’s a sense of pride to have one of his jerseys.”

Palencia saw it as a sign of respect and admiration for a player he looked up to – but knew where he stood, too.

The Cubs’ flamethrower struck out Machado as part of a brilliant 1.2 innings in relief that swung the pendulum to the Cubs in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Padres in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. It was the highlight for a bullpen that retired 14 straight Padres in a dominant performance.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell turned to Palencia with one out in the fifth inning and a runner on first. The right-hander wasn’t just asked to escape a jam. He was tasked with taking down the top of the Padres lineup that combined had 18 All-Star Game appearances, 12 Silver Sluggers and three batting titles.

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Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arráez, Machado, Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts all went down in order. That included a strikeout of Machado, whose signed jersey Palencia still holds.

“My mind was just being aggressive because I’m the guy for that situation,” Palencia said. “I know they’re great hitters, but I’m a great pitcher, too. It’s them vs. me, and this time I won.”

It was the type of momentum-shifting moments that regularly happen in the playoffs. Counsell mentioned during the final homestand how the playoffs can help a player elevate themselves.

“Experience, no experience — it’s going out there and getting the job done, and letting the playoffs kind of take you to a level maybe you didn’t think you had,” Counsell said then. “And that happens very often in the playoffs.”

But in a way, Palencia was built for the moment.

This was a guy who was figuratively punched last season, allowing the mental side of being optioned to the minors and failure to weigh on him. When he arrived in Arizona this spring, he committed to not letting that transactional side of the game affect him. Go out and pitch, whether in Chicago or Iowa.

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When he started the year in Triple-A, he bided his time, then took his major-league opportunity and ran with it. Palencia developed into the team’s closer, racking up 22 saves and even having his own, flashy entrance video that played as he took the mound.

He thrived off that adrenaline.

“It’s been really fun to see him kinda come into his own and really be aggressive and attack with his best stuff and forcing people to hit him,” Dansby Swanson said. “He’s a joy to play behind. And he obviously brings a lot of energy and intensity when he’s out there on the mound.”

It’s what makes him built for situations like Tuesday’s. The thought of bringing a young pitcher to make his playoff debut in a high-leverage situation seems almost unfathomable – but not to Counsell.

“He went on the injured list with a shoulder [injury in September], had a couple outings coming back, and he was closing,” Counsell said. “This is the same to me. The way that outing happened and what was the result is like closing.”

And it was special for Palencia.

When it became clear that the Cubs would be squaring off with San Diego, Palencia watched their games closely. He saw the at-bats Tatis, Arráez, Machado and the rest took. He drew up game plans of what he wanted to do.

So, it didn’t matter if it was a childhood hero. He was ready to face them.

“Baseball is about that – preparing and thanks to God everything worked out,” Palencia said. “To be in this situation, facing great players like him in the postseason, it’s a dream come true.”