The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves secured the last two spots in the MLB playoffs when they split a doubleheader against one another on Monday, the final day of the regular season.

New York got a ninth-inning home run from Francisco Lindor in the dramatic opener to rally for an 8-7 victory, and Atlanta took care of business in a must-win Game 2 with a 3-0 win.

Monday’s results eliminated the idle Arizona Diamondbacks, the reigning National League champions, from play-off contention. If either New York (89-73) or Atlanta (89-73) had swept the doubleheader, Arizona (89-73) would have been the final NL wild-card team.

The Braves and Mets will begin their wild-card series on Tuesday night, with New York headed to Milwaukee to face the Brewers, and Atlanta travelling to San Diego to play the Padres.

Game 1

The opener to Monday’s doubleheader was a memorable back-and-forth affair, especially late.

Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Tylor Megill in the second inning, and Ramon Laureano added a solo shot in the sixth.  

The Mets trailed 3-0 through seven innings but claimed the lead with a six-run eighth that included RBIs by Francisco Lindor, Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez and a two-run homer by Brandon Nimmo.

The Braves reclaimed the lead by scoring four in the bottom of the eighth, powered by Albies’ three-run double off the left field wall that sent the Atlanta crowd into a frenzy. Albies delivered the blow against Edwin Diaz, whose earlier defensive lapse came back to bite him.

The Mets’ Sterling Marte singled in the top of the ninth, representing the tying run, then Lindor hit the first pitch he saw from Pierce Johnson over the fence in right-centre to take the lead yet again.

Diaz returned to the mound for the ninth despite struggling with command issues. He let the tying run reach second base before closing the door on a 40-pitch outing.

Game 2

Atlanta had scheduled Chris Sale to start a do-or-die Game 2, but the lefty was scratched due to back spasms, sending Grant Holmes to the mound.

The rookie right-hander responded with four shutout innings to start the nightcap, allowing one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts.

Gio Urshela's single in the second plated Jorge Soler and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta clung to that narrow lead until Marcell Ozuna’s two-run single in the seventh.

Six Braves pitchers combined for the three-hit shutout, even after Atlanta used many of their top bullpen options in the matinée.

Atlanta will play in the post-season for the seventh straight year and will be looking to rebound from Divisional-round exits at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in each of the last two play-offs.

The Mets atoned for last year’s 75-win season and hope to win their first post-season series since 2015.