The Cubs won three out of four games in this series against the Pirates. That’s not surprising, since the Cubs are fighting for a playoff spot and the Pirates are building for next year. On Friday night, Mitch Keller pitched eight shutout (and dominant) innings for the Pirates and looked like a glimpse of the future on the North Shore.

On Saturday night, Jordan Wicks made his Major League debut for the Cubs. It didn’t start auspiciously. After Wicks gave up a leadoff home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes followed by a hard single and a walk, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy paid him a visit.

Hottovy seems to have a strange magic with pitchers during these visits, but he outdid himself this time. After the break, Wicks proceeded to strike out nine, setting down the last fifteen straight batters he faced.

What did Hottovy say? We don’t know exactly, but after the game, he told the press, “I really try to make it as laid-back as possible. We’re going to go out and have fun tonight, you know?”

That’s worth remembering. Positive psychology research says that we’re more successful when we’re having a good time, and Wicks’ outing seems to be Exhibit A.

How to get there when things feel tight? Smiling more seems to help. Connecting with others is at the heart of it. (And if you can connect with Tommy Hottovy, that seems to work miracles.)