CHICAGO -- The conversation in the dugout was a quick one on Friday afternoon. There was no lobbying required. Justin Steele told Cubs manager Craig Counsell that he was good to pitch the ninth inning and that was that. Steele wanted to hoist the team on his back and his manager obliged.

When Steele headed up the steps and jogged back to the mound, the crowd inside Wrigley Field roared. The lefty’s walk-out song, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash, played again. This time, it served as a close-out song. Steele finished the job in four pitches, sealing a 5-1 victory over the Angels with the first complete game of his career.

“That was special. Wrigley’s a special place,” Steele said. “Fans are aware at all times of what’s going on. They know big and special moments. They knew it was a special moment for me.”

It was a big moment for the North Siders, too.

The Cubs have been trying to climb out of the deep hole that the substandard play across May and June created. For several weeks now, Chicago has hoped each win was the spark that would light a winning streak. During his last outing, Steele erupted in the dugout in Milwaukee, imploring the team to wake up from this first-half slump.

It was the kind of emotional fire that can sometimes ignite a struggling ballclub, but what Steele did against Los Angeles on Friday is proven to be more effective. He took the mound and pitched like an ace -- like the National League Cy Young Award contender he was in his breakout 2023 campaign.

Steele was brilliant and carried the Cubs to the win column.

“There's a confidence that you sense,” Counsell said. “And when it's a starting pitcher, they know what they're capable of. And they also feel that responsibility of, ‘It's my job to do this.’ And that's where you try to get. That's where pitchers try to get. They take games unto themselves, really.”

With his performance, Steele hit a multitude of “first since” achievements for the Cubs.

• Steele is the first Cubs pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game in 95 pitches or fewer since Kyle Hendricks’ 81-pitch gem against the Cardinals on May 3, 2019.

• He became the first Cubs lefty to have a nine-inning complete game with no more than 95 pitches since Jamie Moyer on June 3, 1988, against the Mets.

• Steele became the first pitcher drafted by the Cubs to throw a complete game since Jeff Samardzija did so on Aug. 19, 2013, against the Nationals.

• The left-hander became the first Cubs southpaw to spin a complete game since Cole Hamels did so on Aug. 23, 2018, against the Reds.

Counsell added that baseball makes it difficult for a starting pitcher to really take matters into their own hands. The offense, defense and -- save for a complete game like Friday’s outing -- bullpen all have to also play their part. As good as Steele has been of late (1.67 ERA in his past eight turns with seven quality starts), this was the first win on his ledger since Sept. 4, 2023.

Steele received his run support quickly with Seiya Suzuki belting a two-out, two-run homer in the first inning, and Ian Happ delivering a pair of two-out RBI singles in the third and fifth. There were a handful of defensive highlights, but most notably by third baseman Miles Mastrobuoni. He stole at least three hits away from the L.A. lineup.

“Definitely, he should be part of the story for Justin today,” Counsell said.

Steele agreed.

“If I had a player of the game, I’d give it to Mastro,” said the pitcher. “He had some crazy plays today. It definitely kept me in the ballgame, kept me going.”

Mastrobuoni would not hear it.

“Nah, he’s the player of the game,” said the utility man. “He always sets the tone. Whenever we've got that guy on the mound, we've got a really good chance.”

The Angels only had a pair of hits -- both in the fifth inning, leading to one run -- off Steele, who ended his day by setting down the final 13 batters he faced. The left-hander struck out seven and walked two, giving him 54 strikeouts against 12 walks in the 54 innings he has logged across his past eight starts.

“I kind of caught a groove and put it in cruise control,” Steele said.

That put Steele in a position to finish the job.

“The fans on their feet, playing my walk-out again,” Steele said. “It was a special moment. Something I’ll never forget. That one right there was probably the best baseball moment in my life. That was really cool. I want to keep doing it.”