Aaron Civale had pitched in 135 regular-season games before being claimed off waivers by the Cubs on Sunday. He was the starting pitcher in each of those games.

On Monday, he made his Cubs debut and his first career appearance out of the bullpen and looked like a seasoned veteran.

Entering the game with the Cubs trailing 6-2 in the 6th inning, Civale gave his new team three scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

“I think Aaron’s outing is kind of why you acquire him,” manager Craig Counsell said postgame. “You get that extra player, and you have a guy that’s stretched out for length and ready to go, and he delivers three innings, keeps the game together. Three great innings.”

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That allowed the Cubs to chip away at the Braves’ lead and eventually tie the game on Carson Kelly’s two-run blast in the 8th inning.

“Aaron made some big pitches,” Counsell said. “But Aaron kind of keeping the game together and getting us to that place with some zeros, so we could kind of chip away, absolutely huge.”

Civale’s performance was recognized by his teammates – specifically battery mate Carson Kelly.

“We’re down by (four) at that point, and he comes in and keeps it there,” Kelly told reporters postgame. “Made good pitches. We got him yesterday, so we had to learn quick about what he does. And he came in and did his thing and kept it there, which was very, very big.”

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As for Civale, he was just doing what was asked of him to help the team win.

“It was great to get out there and compete,” Civale said. “Keep the game close and keep it close enough so that it can be within striking distance. That’s always the goal of the pitcher. Regardless of what your role is, go out there and provide as much as you can. Keep it as close as you can.”

While Monday wasn’t Civale’s first time pitching at Wrigley Field in his career, it was his first time doing so as a member of the Cubs. He felt the impact of the crowd immediately.

“I’ve pitched in this stadium as a visitor a few times prior. Being on the home side is definitely a little nicer. It’s very, very loud. A lot of people out there are into it. So it’s good to be out there and compete for this team.”