Another magic number disappeared for the Cubs on Friday night when the Nationals fell to the Pirates 6-5 in 11 innings.
That defeat, coupled with the Cubs' 5-0 victory against the Cardinals on Friday afternoon, clinched home-field advantage for the North Siders throughout the National League playoffs.
The Cubs' next magic number is 11 -- the number of victories needed for the franchise to win its first World Series since 1908.
While the Cubs wrapped up the Central Division more than a week ago, they don't plan to ease up while trying to spoil the Cardinals' playoff hopes and set their playoff plans at the same time.
Part of those discussions has been how many pitchers the team might keep on its postseason roster. The National League Division Series begins Oct. 7 at Wrigley Field.
"That was a big part of the conversation, looking at that breakdown," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "We went through what other teams have done the last four, five years and kind of looked at that, looked at our own roster and what decisions we have to make.
"We're not there yet, but that was really what the meeting was about."
The Cubs won their 98th game Friday, the most in franchise history since the team won that many in 1945.
Twitter @ChiTribSkrbina