CHICAGO — Jameson Taillon was everything the Cubs needed and more with their season on the line.

The veteran right-hander drew the start in a winner-take-all scenario and shut down the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series.

If the Cubs were told before the game that they would get 12 outs from Taillon without letting up a run, they would have been over the moon.

That’s exactly what he pulled off Thursday night at Wrigley Field as the Cubs beat the Padres 3-1 and advanced to the NLDS.

But three outs in particular really set the tone in the game.

The Cubs had just taken the lead — the only time they scored first in this series. Pete Crow-Armstrong drove home a run with a single, and Dansby Swanson added another with a bases-loaded walk.

The Cubs led 2-0 after two innings, and momentum clearly was on their side.

Taillon made sure it stayed that way, turning in a textbook example of a shutdown inning. He needed just 12 pitches to retire the Padres in order in the third, including three consecutive swings-and-misses from San Diego star leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr.

“I thought the game was about what Taillon gave us at the start,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought it was absolutely crucial. We knew we were going to have a couple guys that we were going to have to work really hard, but with him giving us four innings and getting 12 outs, really put it together.”

Taillon tossed another scoreless frame in the fourth, and then handed it over to the Cubs’ bullpen to protect the lead.

It was a continuation of Taillon’s run to end the season. He had a 1.57 ERA over his last six starts and a 0.95 ERA over his final three outings in September.

“For him to come out and throw the way he did today, I thought it was honestly the best I’ve ever seen him,” Swanson said. “Just his execution, his game plan, his confidence — and we needed every bit of his 12 outs. He’s been unbelievable.”

The secret to his success Thursday was no surprise. He threw a first-pitch strike to 13 of the 14 batters he faced, getting ahead early and putting the pressure on the Padres.

Which is exactly what he said his goal was when asked after Wednesday’s game.

“In the playoffs, you know [you have] probably a little bit shorter leash,” Taillon said. “So, for me, I know I have good command. I think for me, it’s making the pitches I want, not giving in, being really relentless in my game plan and my attack.”

That “relentless” mindset now has the Cubs playing deeper into October, as a best-of-five NLDS date with the Milwaukee Brewers awaits.