ATLANTA -- The Braves could have easily been a bust during a season that began with thoughts of ¡°World Series or bust.¡± But at no point did they give in, so maybe it shouldn¡¯t have been surprising to see this injury-depleted and resilient bunch bounce back one more time and advance to the postseason with a Game 162 win.

¡°This [regular season] took us to the edge more than any other,¡± Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said. ¡°If you had any nerves left after today, you were a superman.¡±

Braves manager Brian Snitker understandably looked exhausted as he stood in his office after his club punched its postseason ticket with a 3-0 win over the Mets in the second game of Monday¡¯s doubleheader at Truist Park. The team will now head to San Diego to begin a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Padres starting on Tuesday at 8:38 p.m. ET. ESPN will air the game nationally.

¡°I'm very proud of all these guys, especially a guy like Grant Holmes,¡± Snitker said. ¡°He spent 10 years in the Minor Leagues, and now he gets to spray champagne.¡±

After blowing a lead in both of the final two innings of a crushing 8-7 loss in the first game, the Braves scratched top Cy Young Award candidate Chris Sale because of back spasms. Holmes stepped in and delivered four-plus scoreless innings. Not bad for a guy who learned he was starting this win-or-go-home game about 30 minutes before it began.

¡°I had enough time to sit down, use the bathroom and then come back and get ready to pitch,¡± Holmes said in the middle of the Braves¡¯ champagne-soaked clubhouse.

Monday¡¯s clinch added yet another thrill to a season filled with significant injuries. Cy Young Award candidate Spencer Strider made just one healthy start and Ronald Acu?a Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury near the end of May. Six of the 10 members of Atlanta¡¯s Opening Day lineup (starting pitcher included) missed at least two months due to injury this year.

But there was no quit in this team, which entered the regular season¡¯s final week two games behind both the Mets and D-backs in the battle for the National League¡¯s final Wild Card spots. Atlanta maintained its momentum around the two rainouts on Wednesday and Thursday that forced Monday¡¯s doubleheader, winning six of its final eight games.

¡°Nobody outside this clubhouse cares [about the injuries],¡± Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to find a way to move on and win ballgames. It wasn¡¯t the prettiest year by any means. We had some down times and found a way to grind out of it and come down the stretch and get our foot in the door and get to the postseason.¡±

Holmes took the Braves as far as he could after throwing 21 pitches over 1 2/3 innings Sunday against Kansas City. His effort was backed by Jorge Soler, who doubled in the second and scored on Gio Urshela¡¯s single. Marcell Ozuna provided some much-needed insurance with a two-run single in the seventh.

Ozuna¡¯s single gave the Braves the same 3-0 lead they held in the first game, before Spencer Schwellenbach exited in the eighth having allowed just four hits. Joe Jim¨¦nez allowed hits to each of the three batters he faced and Raisel Iglesias surrendered Brandon Nimmo¡¯s two-run homer, which capped off New York's six-run frame. Atlanta regained the lead with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, but Francisco Lindor sent the Mets to the postseason with his go-ahead homer off Pierce Johnson in the ninth.

But resiliency once again appeared in the nightcap, when Jim¨¦nez tossed a perfect eighth and Iglesias sealed the deal with a scoreless ninth.

¡°I told [pitching coach Rick Kranitz] when we were running Joe back out there, I said, 'If I¡¯m a betting man, he¡¯s going to be really good this time.' And he was,¡± Snitker said. ¡°I¡¯m proud of all of those guys and I¡¯m proud of the staff. I¡¯ve said it takes a whole building to make this happen.¡±