CHICAGO — Moments after the first champagne bottles and beer cans were sprayed into the air in the Cubs’ clubhouse at Wrigley Field, Carlos Santana saw Pete Crow-Armstrong and pulled him to the side.

It was a passionate conversation following the Cubs’ NL Wild Card Series victory over the San Diego Padres, where the veteran reminded the second-year player of their previous talks.

The two – separated by 16 years – have built a bond. The 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong looks to the 39-year-old Santana for advice and how to deal with the mental side of a game that features more downs than ups.

That’s something that the Cubs center fielder, who wears his emotions on his sleeve, struggles with.

“I don’t handle my failure very well,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think that’s going to be a really good part of my growth as a baseball player and as a major leaguer.”

When the Cubs signed Santana on Sept. 1, they added a bench bat with expanded rosters and one that they thought could provide some veteran leadership. Immediately, Crow-Armstrong gravitated towards him.

Santana’s a guy who has played in 16 MLB seasons, collected nearly 1,900 hits and experienced a World Series. Crow-Armstrong knew the savvy veteran could help him with difficult parts of the game.

Santana has stressed to Crow-Armstrong about not letting the emotions overtake him. Play with them, yes, but don’t let them lead to bad decisions.

Over the last week of the regular season, Santana emphasized that more than ever.

“Play your normal game,” Santana said. “Try to end it strong. Don’t let the emotions control you because the team needs you and you’re one of the best players.”

Crow-Armstrong did that.

In the final homestand of the year, he finished 6-for-20 with two home runs and a .918 OPS, more like the first-half player who took the league by storm. That also included his 30th homer of the year, making him only the second Cub in franchise history to join the 30-30 club.

But through his first two playoff games, it seemed like he had reverted to the second-half guy who hit .160 with one home run in August. He was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts after Game 2 of the wild-card series.

“Between innings, when he fails and I see him a bit loco,” Santana said, “I tell him, ‘Hey, what did I say? Remember, remember, remember.’”

So, Crow-Armstrong remembered to remained calm. He tried to remain focused on the defensive end, the one area of the game he can control the most.

And, in the first inning of Thursday’s win, he made a sliding catch to pick up the final out of the frame.

Then, he delivered his first playoff moment at the plate.

In the second inning, with the bases loaded, Crow-Armstrong sent a looping single to center field that drove in a run and started the two-run frame that sparked the Cubs to their clinching win.

After he caught the final out of the game and after he celebrated with the fans in the bleachers, Crow-Armstrong descended into the home clubhouse ready to party with his teammates. But he had to find Santana, the teammate who’s message helped him so much.

“He put it into practice,” Santana said. “It’s not how you begin, but how you finish and that’s how I’ve helped him.”