In the post-game euphoria of yesterday’s victory over the Pirates, I scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed, dishing out “likes” to Cubs-related statuses with the same steely-eyed precision as Jake Arrieta dishing out Ks to Pittsburgh batters.

One status update caught my attention, reiterating a central truth that was only just dawning on me: “These are not my father’s Cubs.”

If they hadn’t already, the 2015 Chicago Cubs solidified themselves as a squad for the ages by starting the playoff chapter of their narrative in dramatic do-or-die fashion.

My father’s Cubs were the 1969 team. My Cubs were the 1998 and 2003 teams. (2007 and 2008 were too fleeting and not really magical enough to register)

But now my father and I are both faced with this 2015 team as the Cubs du jour. And neither one of us can wait for another helping.

These are not my father’s Cubs, even though he’s old enough to be their father. Heck, I’m almost old enough to be Addison Russell’s father.

And these are not the Cubs of my childhood, even though many of the Cubs on this team have just barely grown out of their own. Despite their youth, however, this team showed its true character and maturity last night — both as baseball players and as men.

In terms of baseball, the high stakes of a winner-take-Wildcard game could have been enough to send these Cubs into an early hibernation. Instead, they sprinted out of the gate and scored in the first inning thanks to Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber. No one really doubted Jake Arrieta for a second, but the defense stood up well behind him and there were some crucial pitches and plays made to drown every Pirates’ threat.

But the Cubs won this game with their hearts as much as their bats and gloves — just like they have all season. When Maddon isn’t bringing in a magician or a petting zoo, he must be teaching his boys the art of manliness, and they must be listening.

This game was officially over with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, when Pirates pitcher Tony Watson decided to demonstrate his team’s frustration to everyone in blacked out PNC Park and everyone watching at home with a single pitch that landed on Arrieta’s backside.