CHICAGO — Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki slid into second base during the fifth inning of Friday’s 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field and let out a demonstrative show of emotion.

Justin Turner had hit a hard grounder to Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts with two outs and the bases loaded — seemingly to end the inning — but Suzuki charged toward second, sliding in ahead of the throw and extending the frame.

“I mean, it’s one of those baseball feelings that definitely bring some emotion out of you,” speedy Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said after the win. “Doesn’t happen all that much, so being able to push the envelope and put pressure on a really good infield — I think if we’re able to do it against them, we’re going to be able to do it against anybody.”

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Seiya’s hustle play did more than just score the go-ahead run. It showcased the Cubs’ burgeoning identity — one predicated on controlling what they can control, such as hustling on the basepaths and playing clean defense.

“That was a huge play in this game,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We’re definitely prepared to make that play. We’re ready to make that play, and that is only going to be really good for us as we go.”

The weather at Wrigley in 2024 led to difficult hitting conditions — it was the second-most pitcher-friendly park in baseball, per Statcast. Hitters all go through slumps — it’s part of the game — and pitchers also will have off nights.

So, to combat that, the Cubs sought ways to maximize some of the controllable factors in baseball, and baserunning and defense were atop that list. Many of their player additions exemplify that.

Kyle Tucker is a superstar-level bat, for sure, but he also is a Gold Glove defender and a solid baserunner – he swiped a bag Friday. Carson Kelly compliments Miguel Amaya behind the plate with his throwing ability to mitigate the other team’s running. Gage Workman, a Rule 5 Draft pick this winter, is a solid defender and provides versatility. Utilityman Jon Berti has defensive flexibility, too, and stole 41 bases in 2022. Vidal Bruján, although on the injured list, can play a multitude of positions and also has some solid baserunning in his arsenal.

“I think the results — it’s a small sample — but I feel like the way we’ve played, the energy that they’ve played with has been fantastic,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said before the game. “Really aggressive baserunning, good defense — those are the things that I think last. Hitting, pitching, it’s a small sample, but I do feel like the energy they play with is great.”

Three times in 10 games, that hustle on the basepaths has shown off. Crow-Armstrong had a similar hustle play to Suzuki’s in last week’s domestic opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating a force-out attempt and extending an inning that led to three more Cubs runs in a 7-3 win. He beat another force-out attempt in the sixth inning of Monday’s 18-3 win over the Athletics, extending the frame and leading to another run.

That leads credence to what has been preached all spring. It can be easy to decide not to full sprint to second base on a groundball, but when real, tangible evidence of the benefits is being displayed, it makes players believers.

“We’ve scored six runs, for sure, after beating a force-out at second base,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game. “Ten games in, we got six runs from beating force-outs to second base — like that’s a real credit to the guys, and it’s a real credit to just a detail that — we might go 30 games and that doesn’t matter one bit.

“But when you can make that big of an impact with some baserunning plays, I think the guys in there feel like it’s important, and they’ve shown it, and then we’ve won games because of it.”

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Of course, the Cubs know it won’t always play off. Opposing teams will catch onto those elements, and they’ll be in advanced scouting reports ahead of series against them. But, if instead of benefiting them three times in 10 games, it pays off twice in 20 or 25 contests, the pros outweigh the cons. That can be marginal upgrades, which Hoyer and the Cubs talked about in the offseason, and lead to more wins at the end of the year.

You can argue it’s the difference between being two games above .500 now, at 6-4, and one game under.

“Doing chalk talk, once a week, once every 10 days, and going through what we’ve done well and we haven’t done well,” Hoyer said. “I think with anything in life, the things you talk about, the things you prioritize make a big difference. And those guys have talked about, whether it’s getting good secondary leads, whether it’s constantly being aggressive, taking the extra base, your turns at second and third, all that stuff matters.

“I think the more you emphasize it, the more guys are aware of it. And, in a perfect world, and with teams that do it well, they start policing themselves. And I think that’s really important.”