Craig Counsell's mic drop in Willson Contreras-Cubs fight is why they hired him

The Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals in shutout fashion on Thursday afternoon, 3-0. It was a commanding performance from the Chicago pitching staff, ending with a save for hard-throwing righty Daniel Palencia. That save did not come without a few hiccups, however, most notably clipping Willson Contreras with a 101 MPH inside fastball.

Naturally, Contreras had a few words for Palencia. The Cardinals first basemen has never been one to shield his emotion on the baseball field. He's also a former Cub, with a lot of well-documented gripes about Chicago. So tensions mounted, starting with Contreras chirping on his way down the first base line.

From there, Contreras was seen talking to Palencia multiple times while at first base. His teammate, Alec Burleson, even made a sly effort to defuse the situation with a 'calm down' motion from second base.

Neither runner would advance, however, and the inning ended with a Pelencia punch-out. From there, words were exchanged and the benches cleared, with Contreras visibly upset over the situation. That did not phase Cubs manager Craig Counsell one bit. His response to the game's late drama was about as good as it gets.

"I didn't see it, I was giving high-fives," he told reporters.

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Craig Counsell shrugs off Cubs' Willson Contreras drama with perfect quote

This is why the Cubs hired Counsell, isn't it? Beyond his obvious acumen as a game-planner and in-game manager, the dude is a former player who understands how to walk the walk in these situations. The same competitive edge that made Counsell a factor on the field has made him one of the best dugout presences in MLB. And his leadership has been on full display for Chicago this season.

Counsell's first go-around with the Cubs was a bit bumpy. He didn't really have a workable bullpen at his disposal and the lineup paled in comparison to the NL heavyweights. Now, with Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong elevating the offense and Palencia emerging as a bonafide, high-leverage relief arm, the tables have turned. Chicago sits comfortably atop the NL Central with further room to grow, and Counsell continues to manage circles around his opponents.

This drama was all a bit silly. Contreras is understandably flustered after taking a 101 mph pitch close to his head, but Palencia was effusive in his praise after the game and adamant that he did not hit him on the purpose. And how could he? There's no way the Cubs are going to put two runners on base and the tying run at the plate in the ninth out of spite.

After some postgame reflection, to his credit, Contreras issued an apology and it seems like all sides can move on.

Palencia channeled his emotions well on the bump, striking out three in a row to escape the jam and secure a Cubs victory. While Contreras has some understandable beef with the Cubs organization at large, sometimes you just need to accept when a mistake is made — and then tip your cap when the opponent responds to adversity and sits the heart of your lineup down 1, 2, 3 with two runners on base.