As the Cubs look to establish themselves as bonafide contenders in 2024, this weekend against the Dodgers provided a true litmus test.

The Dodgers have been the most successful team in baseball over the last decade and just spent more than $1 billion in the winter to add the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Cubs claimed the first game of the big early-season series at Wrigley Field with a 9-7 win in a thrilling contest.

“Some wins do feel more significant,” Nico Hoerner said. “It’s just been really nice to see production from so many different places and I think that’s what really makes for a sustainable year.”

At first, it looked like it was going to be a tough day for the North Siders as Ian Happ was unable to secure a fly ball in left field in the top of the 1st inning that eventually led to a 2-run inning.

But Kyle Hendricks limited the damage and then shut the door for a few innings to allow his teammates to get back into the game. He was aided by the Cubs’ defensive play of the year so far by Hoerner with an incredible diving stop to save 2 runs and close out the 4th inning:

GOLD GLOVER NICO HOERNER 😯 pic.twitter.com/zlta5k22AP

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 5, 2024

“That’s a huge play,” Craig Counsell said. “That’s a play that takes 2 runs off the board. Certainly a play worth showing emotion for.”

In the 2nd, Dansby Swanson drilled a homer through the teeth of 15 mph wind on a cold day at “The Friendly Confines” to help launch the comeback.

Then Nick Madrigal singled home Michael Busch to tie the contest before Hoerner scored on a wild pitch. To cap off the big inning, Seiya Suzuki ripped a 2-run double off the wall in right field as he continues his torrid start to the campaign.

Busch — whom the Cubs acquired from the Dodgers in January — smacked his first homer as a Cub in the 3rd inning to make it a 6-2 ballgame. He also made a diving catch to end the game and rob James Outman of a likely game-tying single.

PLAY THE SONG @adbert29 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/NnrMjvAxQx

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 5, 2024

“That’s a big thrill,” Counsell said. “I know he had some home runs last year but to hit your first one as a Cub against your former team, that’s really cool.

“He obviously had a huge game today. Great play at the end of the game. So happy for him. Another day with consistent, tough at-bats showing us we’re happy we have him.”

When the Dodgers responded with 3 runs in the 5th inning, the Cubs tallied 3 of their own in the 6th (including a 2-run triple from Happ) and the Dodgers came right back with 2 more in the 7th.

“A back-and-forth game but for us to be able to keep putting up runs and keep pushing it — that’s what good teams do,” Happ said. “Good teams keep adding on and we were able to do that today.”

The first 3 batters of the game for the Cubs struck out but from that point on, they only whiffed once the rest of the afternoon. They finished with 6 walks and 9 hits, including 4 extra-base hits despite a 43-degree temperature at first pitch and the wind howling in from left field.

“I think the conditions probably make it all the more impressive, really,” Counsell said. “It’s a really good start offensively for us. The at-bats throughout the lineup, that’s going to produce runs. Just tough at-bats. And it’s certainly something that’s fun to watch.”

Friday marked the Cubs’ 5th win in a row after starting the season 0-2.

“Not just when we go out there but everything that starts in here in this clubhouse, it’s amazing,” Suzuki said through translator Toy Matsushita. “Everyone’s having fun. It’s all good vibes right now and it’s showing out there with how we perform.”

A pair of rookies — Jordan Wicks for the Cubs and Yamamoto for the Dodgers — square off Saturday in the second game of the series. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on Marquee Sports Network.