Brewers end long play-offs wait

CC Sabathia pitched his NL-leading seventh complete game in the win

Milwaukee clinched their first play-off berth since 1982 with a 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on the final day of Major League Baseball's regular season.

Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning with two outs to break a 1-1 deadlock in front of a crowd of 45,300 at Miller Park.

They took the National League wildcard spot 12 days after firing manager Ned Yost following a late-season wobble.

In 1982 they reached the World Series but lost to the St Louis Cardinals.

Milwaukee, under third-base coach Dale Sveum, will open their best-of-five NL first-round series in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

They were aided in the last-day heroics by the New York Mets' 4-2 loss to Florida - their second straight final-day elimination by the Marlins.

Thanks to their failure to reach the post-season, they bid farewell on Sunday to Shea Stadium, which has now hosted its last game.

Like the New York Yankees, who Sunday played their last game at Yankee Stadium last Sunday, the Mets are upgrading to a new venue after 45 years at the Shea.

In the American League, Minnesota blanked the Kansas City Royals 6-0 to preserve their half-game lead in the Central Division.

The Chicago White Sox snapped their five-game losing streak by beating Cleveland 5-1, pushing the season into an extra day.

On Monday, Detroit visits Chicago for a make-up game.

If the White Sox (87-74) win, they'll host the Twins on Tuesday in a one-game play-off to determine the division title and the first-round opponent for Tampa Bay.