MILWAUKEE — Thanks to CC Sabathia and Ryan Braun, it suddenly didn't matter that the Milwaukee Brewers spent much of the past month squandering a shot at their first playoff appearance since 1982.

Sabathia delivered a dominant four-hit complete game in his third straight start on three days' rest, and Braun hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning to lead the Brewers over the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, yesterday.

Milwaukee won the NL wild card less than a half-hour later when the New York Mets lost to Florida, 4-2 — ending 26 years of frustration for the often-overlooked franchise.

"It's our time," Sabathia said.

Sabathia, who came to the Brewers in a trade with Cleveland in July, celebrated by climbing on top of the Brewers' dugout and dousing fans with champagne.

Milwaukee will face Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. The NL Central champion Cubs will play the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was a last-minute recovery for the Brewers, who took drastic measures after blowing the 5 1/2-game wild card lead they held going into September: They fired manager Ned Yost with only two weeks left.

But the details of the Brewers' wild ride to the playoffs don't matter now.

"As good as we feel right now, everything that's happened this month, everything that's happened this week is in the past now," J.J. Hardy said. "We're in the playoffs, and I don't think we could be happier."

Neither could thousands of their fans, who stayed in Miller Park to watch the Mets' game on the giant video board in center field and cheered wildly as the Marlins recorded the final out.

Streamers and confetti fell from the rafters and fireworks went off in the outfield as interim manager Dale Sveum and the Brewers began showering one another with champagne in the middle of the clubhouse.

Sabathia (11-2) pitched his NL-leading seventh complete game in just his 17th start for Milwaukee. The only run he allowed was unearned after an error by first baseman Prince Fielder.

"Now we just go out and have fun and see what happens," Sabathia said.

Braun's towering two-run homer off Bob Howry (7-5) broke a 1-all tie.

"I thought I got enough for it to be a home run," Braun said. "I wasn't sure. Once I saw (outfielder Alfonso) Soriano's number, I thought I was in pretty good shape."

MARLINS 4, METS 2

NEW YORK — Mets Collapse, the sequel.

Doomed by a dreadful bullpen that failed them again yesterday, the New York Mets completed their second consecutive September slide with a loss to Florida that knocked them out of playoff contention in the final game at Shea Stadium.

Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala served up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning that put the Marlins ahead, and New York (89-73) lost out to Milwaukee (90-72) for the NL wild card.

"We failed. We failed as a team," David Wright said. "There's no pointing fingers. There's no excuses. We as a unit didn't get the job done."

What followed was an awkward scene at Shea.

The Mets brought in former greats from Tom Seaver and Willie Mays to Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry for festivities that felt more like a funeral than a party.

Pinch-hitter Wes Helms homered off Schoeneweis (2-6) to start the eighth, snapping a 2-all tie. Dan Uggla connected against Ayala.

Giants 3, Dodgers 1: Tim Lincecum matched his career high with 13 strikeouts to finish with a majors-best 265 in a win over Los Angeles. Lincecum (18-5) recorded strikeouts for the first nine outs of the game — the first time that's happened since the Mets' Sid Fernandez, a Kaiser High alum, did so July 30, 1986, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Diamondbacks 2, Rockies 1: Randy Johnson pitched a two-hitter in what might have been his final appearance for host Arizona. The 45-year-old Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner whose contract expires after this season, earned his 295th career win. Johnson (11-10) walked one and struck out nine.