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CHICAGO -- With their backs against the wall for the first time in 2016, the Chicago Cubs responded with a 3-2 nail-biting victory over the Cleveland Indians to pull to within a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven World Series. They did it with one big inning, pitching and defense. On the pitching front, Jon Lester was mostly nails while Aroldis Chapman came through with a yeoman-like eight-out save.

Put simply: The Cubs big-ticket pitchers did exactly what they are paid to do.

On Lester's end, he's in the second year of a six-year, $155 million deal and this is his zone. He has a 2.62 career ERA in 130 2/3 postseason innings now, but he gets even better when everything is on the line in the World Series. He's now 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 32 2/3 World Series innings.

No, Lester isn't Curt Schilling or Madison Bumgarner, but behind them he's one of the best postseason pitchers of the wild-card era. He is exactly the man you want on the mound when your team needs a win. He was dialed in from the start on Sunday night for Game 5, too, striking out the side in the first inning. He painted corners and hit spots all night. No, he wasn't perfect, as the Indians squared him up a few times, but that's a great offense he's facing.

"He was as advertised," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He's really good, and a little bit like we've seen with [Corey] Kluber, you get late in the year and he certainly doesn't shy away from competition."

The final line was six innings, four hits, two earned runs, zero walks and five strikeouts. He was efficient, too. In fact, I think manager Joe Maddon took him out too early and he had another inning in him.

Thanks to Chapman, though, it doesn't matter and we can say all's well that ends well for the Cubs.

The fireballing Cuban was the Cubs' big acquisition in front of the trade deadline in July, with the Cubs paying a huge price in prospects. Why pay such a huge price for a rental who hits free agency after the season?

Because of games like this. Flags fly forever and if the Cubs win the championship, the prospects they lost in the deal won't matter. The World Series title is what you play for.

Chapman's final line was 2 2/3 innings, one hit, zero runs, zero walks and four strikeouts. He did hit a batter, and one hit was from Rajai Davis, who then stole second and third, so this wasn't an outing without trouble.

He got out of it every time with his calling card, the triple-digit fastball. Kris Bryant called it a "gutsy" performance while Addison Russell said the big lefty was "lights out."

"That was a big ask and he answered," Francona said of Maddon's use of Chapman.

Maddon had so much faith in Chapman that he let him hit with an insurance run in scoring position and never even had anyone else up in the bullpen (with Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon still available). It was a win-or-go-home game, and they were going to decide it with their best.

What's more, this was the longest outing of Chapman's career. He had previously finished two innings 14 times in his career and 2 1/3 once. He threw 42 pitches in this one, just two off his career high and matching his second-highest mark.

"I talked to Chappy before the game," Maddon said. "He was aware of being ready in the seventh inning, so we had all that in play."

"It was our best opportunity," he continued. "I thought right now based on the bullpen usage recently, he's actually kind of fresh. He hasn't been overused in the last part of this season nor through the playoffs."

Again, this was a huge effort by both Lester and Chapman. Given how a lot of the bullpen has pitched this postseason, the Cubs aren't going back to Cleveland without it.

Now, they are two more wins away from the first World Series title for the franchise since 1908. That's why you pay Lester that money and deal a huge prospect package for Chapman.