PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Mets are going back to the playoffs.

On Aug. 19, it seemed unlikely the Mets would be popping champagne in the Philadelphia Phillies' locker room on October 1. New York was 5 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot and two games below .500 with a long list of names on the disabled list.

Twenty-seven wins in forty-three days later, things went from unlikely to certain.

"This is why you play, to enjoy this kind of a celebration," champagne-soaked manager Terry Collins said after the Mets' 5-3 win over the Phillies on Saturday.

"If you're going to play in our town, you better have heart and you better have character to play in New York City. You're gonna get knocked down, but you better be able to get back up."

The Mets clinched a Wild Card berth thanks to a go-ahead two-run home run by James Loney in the top of the sixth inning.

Loney got all of a 3-and-1 pitch it over the fence in right field to give the Mets a 4-2 lead that their bullpen wouldn't relinquish.

Coming off of his worst start in 2016, in which he allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in Miami earlier in the week, Bartolo Colon went five innings, scattering five hits and striking out six.

Colon gave up two earned runs on one pitch to Ryan Howard in the bottom of the fifth, but earned his 15th and most important win in the 2016 regular season.

"This year was much tougher," Colon said. "We had a lot of people that were injured and it was hard just to get here to play this one game that we’re gonna play right now. We'll see what happens."

Colon and Collins stressed the importance of the clubhouse leadership that got the Mets back in the hunt and ultimate into the postseason.

"I think after we got (Asdrubal) Cabrera, (Yoenis) Cespedes, and even (Jose) Reyes here who motivates the team a lot, it changed the energy around," Colon said.

Said Collins: "You've gotta have great leadership in the clubhouse ... we've got leadership in there. It's not just one guy, it's not just the captain (injured third baseman David Wright) -- who was missing.

"He was a huge piece but it was other guys who had to take on that role and they never got down. We tried to make it fun here. They respond by how they play on the field."

Cabrera punctuated the Mets win with an RBI bloop single off of Hector Neris in the top of the ninth to score pinch-runner Eric Campbell and make it 5-3.

Mets closer Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to record his 51st save of the season and secure the Mets win and Wild Card berth.

Starting pitcher Phil Klein of the Phillies got through three scoreless innings but ran into trouble in the top of the fourth.

Curtis Granderson reached base for the Mets on a double to left field with two out. After intentionally walking Jay Bruce, who had hit home runs in three straight before Saturday, T.J. Rivera singled to center and brought Granderson home for a 1-0 lead.

Travis D'Arnaud led off the fifth with a single for the Mets and Jose Reyes singled him home two batters later for a 2-0 lead.

Granderson, in addition to going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs, made a shoestring grab to rob Cameron Rupp of an RBI hit in the bottom of the sixth and preserve New York's 4-2 lead.

Darin Ruf hit a pinch home run off Fernando Salas to left field in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Mets' lead to 4-3.

Howard, in what is presumably his penultimate game as a Phillie, took Colon deep in the fifth inning with a two-run homer to tie the game, 2-2.

It was career home run No. 382 for Howard, tying Jim Rice and Frank Howard for 67th place all-time list. Howard went 2-for-4, but struck out swinging to lead off the ninth inning.

The farewell tour for Howard ends on Sunday, but the longtime Phillie hasn't been fazed by it.

"I'm just taking the weekend as-is," Howard said. "I'm just trying to enjoy it and just trying to embrace everything. ... I'm not trying to look too much into anything."

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin couldn't ask for anything more from his first baseman. Except for maybe one more long ball.

"Hopefully he'll hit another one tomorrow," Mackanin said. "He's been swinging the bat well in the second half, to have 25 home runs and almost 60 RBIs. He's been phenomenal.

"He's been great, he's been happy. He gets along with the guys really well."

NOTES: The Mets are 29-16 during day games in 2016, including 14-8 on the road. That ranks second in the majors. ... New York went 17-10 in September. The 17 wins were the most in September for the Mets since 1995. ... Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was ejected for the first time as manager of the Phillies by first base umpire Will Little in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night.