CHICAGO (Interstat) — In a pivotal playoff contest defined by a chaotic first inning and dominant bullpen work, the Chicago Cubs held off the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 of their National League Division Series on Wednesday night at a sold-out Wrigley Field.

A crowd of 40,737 watched as the Cubs clawed back into the best-of-five series, which the Brewers now lead two games to one. The victory, which took 3 hours and 13 minutes to complete, ensured the series will return to Milwaukee for at least a Game 5.

The game’s entire scoring output was confined to the first and seventh innings, with the opening frame providing a whirlwind of action. The Brewers struck first against Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. Christian Yelich led off the game with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Sal Frelick, giving Milwaukee an early 1-0 lead.

That advantage was short-lived. The Cubs responded immediately and forcefully against Brewers starter Quinn Priester in the bottom of the first. Michael Busch launched a three-run home run to right-center field, abruptly handing Chicago a 3-1 lead. The Cubs were not done. They loaded the bases later in the inning, and Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered a critical two-run single to right field, scoring Nico Hoerner and Kyle Tucker. When the dust settled, the Cubs had sent nine men to the plate and secured a 4-1 lead before many in the historic ballpark had settled into their seats.

From there, the game transformed into a battle of relief pitchers. After the tumultuous first, Priester was tagged with the loss, falling to 13-4 on the season. He was relieved by Jose Quintana, who provided three scoreless innings of two-hit ball to stabilize the game for Milwaukee. He was followed by Grant Anderson, Chad Patrick and Nick Mears, who combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball.

The Cubs’ bullpen was equally formidable after Taillon departed following four innings of work, in which he allowed two runs on five hits. Drew Pomeranz earned the win, improving to 3-2, with a perfect inning of relief that included two strikeouts. Caleb Thielbar and Daniel Palencia also contributed scoreless outings to bridge the game to the late innings.

Milwaukee chipped away at the deficit. In the fourth inning, Jake Bauers delivered an RBI single to center field, scoring Frelick to cut the Cubs’ lead to 4-2. Bauers then brought the Brewers within a run in the seventh inning, launching a solo home run to left-center field off reliever Andrew Kittredge.

The Brewers threatened to tie or take the lead in the eighth inning, mounting their most serious challenge. Jackson Chourio led off with a double and, after a walk to William Contreras, the Brewers had the potential tying run on third base with one out. Cubs manager Craig Counsell then turned to closer Brad Keller, who escaped the jam by getting Sal Frelick to ground into a fielder’s choice and, after walking Caleb Durbin to load the bases, striking out Bauers on a foul tip to end the threat.

Keller returned for the ninth inning and retired the side in order, securing his fifth save of the season and preserving the narrow victory for the Cubs.

With the win, the Cubs improved their season record to 95-73, while the Brewers moved to 99-66. The series continues Thursday at Wrigley Field for a critical Game 4, where the Cubs will look to even the series and force a decisive fifth game back in Milwaukee on Saturday.