MILWAUKEE — CC Sabathia pitched a four-hitter and Ryan Braun hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago Cubs 3-1 Sunday and into the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

The Brewers, who fired manager Ned Yost with only two weeks left in the regular season, won the National League wild card less than a half-hour later when the New York Mets lost to Florida 4-2. Milwaukee (90-72) and New York (89-73) went into the final day of the regular season tied.

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

Sabathia (11-2) pitched his NL-leading seventh complete game — those came in just 17 starts after the Brewers got the big lefty in July from Cleveland. The only run he allowed was unearned after an error by first baseman Prince Fielder, and he finished with a 1.65 ERA for the Brewers.

Milwaukee could not get much going offensively until Braun’s towering two-run homer off Bob Howry (7-5) broke a 1-1 tie.

In other games on Sunday:

NATIONAL League

Marlins 4

Mets 2

NEW YORK — Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala served up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning that put the Marlins ahead, and the Mets missed the playoffs after another September slide and a loss in the final game at Shea Stadium. It was a scenario eerily similar to last year, when the Mets lost at home to Florida on the final day of season, ending their playoff hopes. Pinch-hitter Wes Helms homered off Schoeneweis (2-6) to start the eighth, snapping a 2-2 tie.

Phillies 8

Nationals 3

PHILADELPHIA — Lou Marson and Matt Stairs hit back-to-back homers for the NL East-champion Phillies, who rested their regulars in a win over Washington.

Giants 3

Dodgers 1

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants ace Tim Lincecum (18-5) matched his career high with 13 strikeouts to finish with a majors-best 265 in a win over the NL West-champion Dodgers. Los Angeles concluded its division championship season at 84-78 and will face the NL Central-champion Chicago Cubs starting Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

Astros 3

Braves 1

HOUSTON — Brad Ausmus hit a two-run homer in his final game with Houston, and Wandy Rodriguez (9-7) struck out six in seven strong innings before Jose Valverde shut out the Braves in the ninth to tie a franchise record with his 44th save. Chipper Jones secured his first NL batting title, walking in his only trip to the plate. Jones hit a career-high .364 to edge Albert Pujols and become the NL’s first switch-hitting batting champion since Terry Pendleton won in his 1991 MVP season for Atlanta.

Cardinals 11

Reds 4

ST. LOUIS — Felipe Lopez drove in three runs and Brad Thompson pitched five effective innings, helping the Cardinals end the year on a season-best six-game winning streak.

Diamondbacks 2

Rockies 1

PHOENIX — Randy Johnson pitched a two-hitter in what might have been his final appearance with the Diamondbacks. The 45-year-old Johnson (11-10), a five-time Cy Young Award winner whose contract expires after this season, earned his 295th career win.

Pirates 6

Padres 1

SAN DIEGO — Adam LaRoche and Steve Pearce hit consecutive homers in the fourth inning and the Pirates won a matchup of last-place clubs. The Padres brought up the rear in the West at 63-99, their worst finish since 1993. The Pirates finished last in the NL Central at 67-95 and tied the 1933-48 Phillies’ major-league record of 16 consecutive losing seasons.

American League

Twins 6

Royals 0

MINNEAPOLIS — Scott Baker scattered four singles over seven shutout innings, pitching Minnesota past Kansas City to preserve the Twins’ half-game lead in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox snapped their five-game losing streak by beating Cleveland, pushing the season into an extra day. Today, Detroit visits Chicago for a makeup game. If the White Sox (87-74) win, they will host the Twins on Tuesday in a one-game playoff to determine the division title and the first-round opponent for Tampa Bay. Delmon Young’s two-run single and Joe Mauer’s two-run triple gave Baker (11-4) some extra insurance, and relievers Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan finished the final two innings to give Minnesota an 88-74 record.

White Sox 5

Indians 1

CHICAGO — Mark Buehrle won on three days’ rest, Paul Konerko hit his fourth homer in three games, and Jermaine Dye had a two-run single to lead the White Sox. Buehrle (15-12), coming off a 121-pitch outing, made his third start on short rest this season and his second in September. He allowed one run and nine hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one, throwing 111 pitches.

Yankees 6-3

Red Sox 2-4

BOSTON — Mike Mussina became the oldest pitcher to win 20 games in a season for the first time, reaching the milestone in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. The 39-year-old Mussina (20-9), finishing his 18th major-league season, allowed three hits in six shutout innings. Xavier Nady hit a three-run homer in the fifth off Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3), who lost for the first time in eight decisions since July 28. The playoff-bound Red Sox won the second game on Jonathan Van Every’s bases-loaded single with two outs in the 10th.

Angels 7

Rangers 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels posted their team-record 100th win, with Joe Saunders pitching six sharp innings and Mike Napoli homering in their final tuneup for the postseason. The Angels (100-62) take baseball’s best record into the first round of the playoffs against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox beginning Wednesday in Anaheim.

Rays 8

Tigers 7

DETROIT — Ben Zobrist hit a go-ahead single in a four-run eighth inning and hit a solo homer in the 11th, lifting the playoff-bound Rays to a win over the Tigers. Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would start right-hander James Shields, who started and pitched only an inning Sunday, or lefty Scott Kazmir in the first two games of the ALDS.

Blue Jays 10

Orioles 1

BALTIMORE — Vernon Wells went four for four, homered twice and had five RBIs for Toronto. Jesse Litsch (13-9) gave up one run and three hits in seven innings. The right-hander went 4-1 in September and finished with a solid 3.58 ERA.

Mariners 4

Athletics 3

SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and scored the decisive run for Seattle. The reloaded Mariners expected to contend in the AL West this season and hoped to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Instead, they fired their manager and general manager, became the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games, and endured their worst season (61-101) since losing 102 games in 1983.