CHICAGO (Interstat) — On a crisp September afternoon that stretched into a celebratory evening at the Friendly Confines, the Chicago Cubs secured their postseason destination with authority. Michael Busch homered twice and drove in four runs, powering the Cubs to a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday at a packed Wrigley Field.

The win, played before a crowd of 38,035 in two hours and thirty-six minutes, clinched the top National League wild-card spot for the Cubs, who improved to 91-70. They will host the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of a best-of-three series on Tuesday. The Cardinals, whose season will conclude Sunday, fell to 78-83.

While the stakes were high for the home team, the game began with a solo shot that set the tone. Busch, the Cubs’ first baseman, wasted no time, launching a fly ball to right-center field in the bottom of the first inning to immediately answer a quiet top half from St. Louis and give Chicago an early 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals found an equalizer in the fourth when veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado connected for his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot to left-center that briefly knotted the game at 1-1.

The tie was short-lived. The Cubs’ offense erupted in the bottom of the fifth to seize control. After Dansby Swanson walked and Matt Shaw reached on a fielder’s choice, Busch stepped to the plate again. He delivered a monumental blow, crushing his second homer of the game and 34th of the year to left-center field, scoring Shaw ahead of him and putting the Cubs ahead 3-1. The three-run blast chased Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy, who took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Chicago added to its lead in the sixth when Seiya Suzuki led off the inning with his 31st home run, a solo shot to left-center that extended the advantage to 4-1.

St. Louis mounted a response in the top of the seventh. After two quick strikeouts, Jimmy Crooks kept the inning alive with a single. Jordan Walker then followed by driving a fly ball over the center-field wall for a two-run homer, pulling the Cardinals within a single run at 4-3 and injecting tension back into the ballpark.

The Cubs, however, answered immediately in the bottom of the frame, a hallmark of their performance. Matt Shaw worked a walk and then scored when Busch continued his torrid day by lacing a triple to center field that was deflected by Walker in right, allowing Shaw to race home. Busch’s fourth hit of the day pushed the lead back to two runs at 5-3.

Chicago put the game definitively out of reach in the eighth. After Suzuki walked, rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong provided the final exclamation point, launching a two-run homer to right field, his 31st of the season, to cement the final 7-3 margin.

The offensive support was more than enough for Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who earned his 11th win of the season. Taillon turned in a strong performance, pitching six effective innings while allowing just one run on three hits and striking out eight. The Cubs’ bullpen, despite Walker’s seventh-inning homer, closed the door. Drew Pomeranz contributed a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

The victory gave the Cubs their third win in four games and set the stage for playoff baseball to return to the North Side. The teams will conclude the regular season on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field.