Cubs force deciding game against Brewers with roster including former Okotoks Dawgs Andrew Kittredge and Mike Soroka

Andrew Kittredge of the Chicago Cubs pitched one season with the Okotoks Dawgs in 2011, where he was teammates with current Dawgs GM Tyler Hollick, who is also an associate scout for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Chicago Cubs staved off elimination Thursday night with a 4-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers. That set the stage for a decisive fifth game Saturday night to decide which midwestern team will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series next week.

The Cubs have a few Calgary-area connections on the roster, with pitcher Mike Soroka as well as Andrew Kittredge, who played one season with the Okotoks Dawgs, back in 2011.

Kittredge, who’s from Spokane, was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and has played in the majors with Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Baltimore and now the Cubs.

Okotoks general manager Tyler Hollick moonlights as an associate scout for the Brewers, so he’s conflicted --but says it’s still pretty awesome to see a former Dawg pitching in the post-season.

“I think it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Hollick said. “First of all, I’m a little biased actually -- Andrew was one of my teammates way back when we played with the Dawgs together in 2011.

“Just to see all of the success he’s had coming out of Washington (state) and going up through the minor league system the Mariners had, (and now) watching him pitch in the biggest games in baseball right now is really cool.”

Kittredge pitched one inning in Wednesday’s Game 3, which the Cubs won 4-3.

There’s another Okotoks Dawgs connection in the series as well. The Dawgs’ first-ever big leaguer Jim Henderson is the assistant pitching coach for the Brewers.

Game time for Saturday night’s deciding fifth game is 6:08 p.m. MST.