Marlins Earn Playoff Berth

The surprising Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets, 4-3, Friday night in Miami to clinch their first playoff berth since winning the 1997 World Series. They’ll face the West Division champion San Francisco Giants in a best-of-five series beginning Tuesday in San Francisco.

“We’re happy to get in, but this is just the beginning,” said Derrek Lee, who drove in two runs. “We want to go deep in the playoffs.”

The Marlins trailed Philadelphia by a half game in the wild-card race last Saturday, but pulled away with five consecutive wins. At 90-70, they’re 20 games above .500 for the first time since ’97.

The victory put 72-year-old Manager Jack McKeon in the postseason for the first time. The Marlins are 74-48 (.607) since he took over May 11.

Leadoff batter Juan Pierre, a catalyst all season, filled that role again in the clinching victory. He stole two bases to set a club record with 64, singled three times to reach a career high with 203 hits and played a part in Florida’s first three runs.

Carl Pavano (12-13), the No. 5 starter on a strong pitching staff, limited the Mets to six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings. He retired 11 in a row during one stretch.

The Marlins’ rapidly expanding bandwagon attracted 33,215 fans, the largest crowd of the week and the fourth-largest of the season in Miami.

Milwaukee 12, Houston 5 -- Richie Sexson homered twice and drove in four runs at Houston to help drop the Astros a half game behind the idle Chicago Cubs in the Central Division.

There was no need for scoreboard watching at Minute Maid Park. The Pittsburgh-Cubs game at Wrigley Field was rained out earlier in the day and a doubleheader was scheduled for today.

Sexson hit an RBI double during a six-run second inning. He hit a solo homer off Rick White in the fifth and a two-run shot in the seventh off Kirk Bullinger. He has 45 homers this season, tying his franchise record set in 2001.

Montreal 5, Cincinnati 1 -- Tomo Ohka (10-12) pitched a five-hitter at Cincinnati, giving the Expos their 82nd victory, which guaranteed them a second straight winning season under Manager Frank Robinson. Montreal had not posted consecutive seasons over .500 since 1992-94.

Before Montreal’s first game at Great American Ball Park, a bronze statue of Robinson was unveiled outside the stadium. Robinson began his Hall of Fame career as an outfielder for the Reds.

Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 0 -- Rookie left-hander Horacio Ramirez (12-4) pitched six strong innings at Philadelphia, and the Braves moved closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Braves have a one-game lead over San Francisco for the best record in the league.

San Diego 5, Colorado 0 -- Adam Eaton (9-12) and four relievers combined on an eight-hitter at Qualcomm Stadium. The loss dropped the Rockies to 23-56 on the road, assuring them of their worst record away from Coors Field. Their previous worst was 26-55 last season.

Arizona 7, St. Louis 6 -- The loss at Phoenix eliminated the Cardinals from the Central Division race. Manager Tony La Russa wasn’t there to see his team fail to reach the postseason for the first time since 1999. He and catcher Mike Matheny were serving suspensions stemming from recent run-ins with umpires.