CHICAGO -- There has been some discussion about the Yankees stashing Luis Gil in the bullpen for the playoff push, where he could be used to extinguish rallies. Performances like Friday¡¯s make it difficult to imagine taking him out of the rotation.

Yet the contest marked a potential preview of how the late innings could be handled moving forward. Gil returned from the injured list to throw six scoreless innings of one-hit ball before Luke Weaver recorded his first career save, sealing the Yankees¡¯ 3-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

¡°The more innings that I pitched, I was feeling more comfortable and loose on the mound,¡± Gil said through an interpreter. ¡°The arm was feeling good and in a good rhythm. I definitely felt that towards the end. I had more velo and was feeling stronger.¡±

After Anthony Rizzo was honored with a video tribute in his return to Wrigley, the 2016 World Series champion doffing his cap multiple times to the fans, Gil showcased why he should be entrusted with crucial innings down the stretch.

Displaying an effective slider with slightly lower velocity, the rookie right-hander walked two and struck out seven. Cody Bellinger had the Cubs¡¯ lone hit off Gil, a fourth-inning double, as Gil tossed 54 of 89 pitches for strikes.

¡°He was excellent,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°I even thought that last inning might have been his best, just as far as real easy, not having to reach for it. It seemed real sharp to me at the finish, which was encouraging, too. Six shutout to get the series going; you couldn¡¯t have drawn it up better.¡±

Said Rizzo: ¡°As the game went on, you just saw Gil get more and more confident. When he¡¯s throwing with that confidence, it¡¯s fun to watch. He set the tone for us.¡±

Gil¡¯s four-seam fastball averaged 95 mph, down 1.8 mph from his season average, but he made up for it with a biting slider while mixing in a changeup. Gil said the key to his success is ¡°not a secret.¡±

¡°I¡¯ve been saying it all year: pitch execution,¡± Gil said. ¡°[It¡¯s] really staying within the lane that you¡¯re trying to attack, the zones you¡¯re trying to attack. That¡¯s really it.¡±

Gil received all three runs of support in the fourth inning, as Aaron Judge had a run-scoring double and Austin Wells stroked a two-run single off left-hander Jordan Wicks. Judge leads the Majors with 125 RBIs and is three RBIs shy of 700 for his career.

While Gil returning from a lower back strain helps, the Yankees¡¯ rotation appears more whole, with the Bombers also primed to activate right-hander Clarke Schmidt for a start on Saturday.

Left-hander Nestor Cortes is set to follow Schmidt as a piggyback reliever, and Boone said the club has not decided which starter will move to the bullpen.

¡°We¡¯re really hoping for Clarke to come out and do the kind of work that he has been doing all season,¡± Gil said. ¡°It¡¯s a fight, so with that opportunity, he¡¯ll be great for us. We just want to keep our team in the best position possible and keep fighting.¡±

An equally significant development may have transpired after Gil¡¯s final pitch, with Boone taking a new route to notch the final nine outs, capping the Bombers¡¯ 12th shutout of the season.

Jake Cousins and Tommy Kahnle worked the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, ahead of Weaver¡¯s first career save chance. Though Weaver outwardly kept his composure, telling himself that it was ¡°the same game,¡± he said the heightened emotions of the ninth inning wreaked havoc internally.

¡°I couldn¡¯t see straight. I was blacked out, for the most part,¡± Weaver said. ¡°I was on pure adrenaline, but it was a great time. It¡¯s an honor to be able to go out there and try to get three of the most [important] outs of the ballgame.¡±

Stepping in for Clay Holmes, who has lost his defined closer¡¯s role after a Major League-leading 11 blown saves but remains in the late-inning mix, Weaver recorded two strikeouts on eight pitches before losing Bellinger to a six-pitch walk.

¡°Weaver was electric,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°He came out throwing hard. He relished that opportunity.¡±

Weaver then battled Isaac Paredes for 11 pitches, inducing a game-ending groundout. Weaver said that closing was ¡°something that [he] aspired to,¡± and Boone said that Weaver could see more save chances down the stretch.

¡°It¡¯ll be a little bit of everyone and different each day, depending on where we are in the lineup earlier in the game,¡± Boone said. ¡°We¡¯ll just piece it together best we can. The thing is, we have really good pitchers down there. We¡¯ve just got to get them in the right spots, Clay included. So it was a good day.¡±