By Brian Heyman, The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News  NEW YORK  The New York Mets were one strike away now, and the fans filling Shea Stadium were on their feet, clapping, yelling, waving white towels, waiting for pitch No. 117 from the $137.5 million man of the hour.  The potential tying run stood on second for the Florida Marlins. And then Cody Ross cracked a fastball, sending it soaring deep to left. Endy Chavez went back to the track and finally settled under it. The entire stadium erupted in sheer joy. Ramon Castro walked from behind the plate and threw his arms around Johan Santana. Taking Care of Business filled the air, a rather appropriate soundtrack for this day.  "We've got life," Carlos Delgado said. "There's hope."  Because Santana fired a complete-game, three-hit, nine-strikeout shutout Saturday. The Mets claimed a crucial 2-0 win after the lefty demanded Jerry Manuel give him the ball despite having just three days' rest from his career-high 125-pitch effort on Tuesday to beat the Chicago Cubs.  "What's the headline going to be tomorrow?" Florida catcher John Baker asked. " 'Is he the Shea-vior?' "  He sure was. The Mets are back in business in the push to reach October, riding this dizzying roller coaster into Sunday's final scheduled regular-season game in Shea's history with a real chance again.  One day after they surrendered control of their fate to Milwaukee in the wild-card race with their fifth loss in seven games, the Mets took it back with help from Santana and the Cubs. The division is gone because the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 to clinch. But Chicago beat the Brewers 7-3, so the Mets and Milwaukee are tied again for the final entry pass.  If the Mets and Brewers are still tied after Sunday, there will be one more regular-season game at Shea Monday to decide who goes to Chicago for Game 1 on Wednesday.  "I knew that in the situation that we were in, we were in a tough one," Santana said. "There might be no tomorrow. That's why I was up to the challenge and I was ready to go."  So, Jerry, can Santana pitch Sunday's game, too?  "How many did he throw?" Manuel asked with a smile.  Too many. Oliver Perez will pitch on three days' rest instead. If there's a game No. 163, Pedro Martinez would start on three days' rest.  What Santana did on three days' rest was remarkable. He's the first Mets pitcher to throw a complete game on three days' rest in 18 years. His dipping changeup was practically unhittable, accounting for eight of the Ks.  "It's probably the best performance that I've seen by a pitcher going on three days' rest," said Mets GM Omar Minaya, who brought him here from Minnesota in the offseason after the New York Yankees passed. "Unless you work here and understand New York, to do this in the pressure-packed (atmosphere) that is New York, it gives it another level."  Santana finished at 16-7 with a 2.53 ERA, but as Minaya said, he could have had 24 or 25 wins. The ace went 9-0 with a 2.09 ERA in his last 17 starts.  The last time he lost was June 28.  This time, he found himself in heavy traffic in just one inning, the fifth, when he was already holding the two-run edge. A single, a walk and a sacrifice put two in scoring position with two outs. Santana intentionally walked Hanley Ramirez, then got Baker to line to right to end the inning.  By the end of eight, he had retired 10 straight. But his pitch count stood at 104.  Time for the pen? Be serious.  "You couldn't pull him out," Manuel said. "He wouldn't let you pull him out."  Jorge Cantu went down swinging to start the ninth. But Josh Willingham rocketed a double off the wall in left-center. Then he fanned Dan Uggla before getting Ross to end it.  "I was going for it," Santana said. "I never thought about any pitching counts about the last game."  Manuel had given his batting order a good shake after the one-run, seven-hit debacle in the series opener. He wanted to get his top four guys as many at-bats as possible. The new order: Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Delgado and David Wright.  It worked out well in the first against 15-game winner Ricky Nolasco, who fanned 10 in seven innings. Reyes ripped the first pitch of the game into center for a single and then stole second. Beltran singled hard into right, and Reyes had to hold at third. And Delgado lifted a sac fly to deep center for the 1-0 lead.  In the fourth, Nolasco hit Daniel Murphy, and Ramon Martinez lined an RBI double to the right-center gap for the two-run lead. Santana only needed one.  The Mets stayed alive on the final Saturday last year against Florida, but Tom Glavine didn't make it out of the first the following day and the Mets were done. They will hope for better Sunday with so many of their former stars back for the postgame "Shea Goodbye" ceremony.  "It would be a great way to send this stadium off with a win and a playoff berth," Manuel said. "I'm sure these people are going to be in every pitch, just like they were today. Hopefully Ollie can duplicate or at least come close to what we saw today. Guys have got to be really walking on Cloud 9 to play out here for the last game at Shea."  Maybe now it won't be the last.  The Journal News is owned by Gannett, the parent company of USA TODAY  You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. 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Desperate to stay in the playoff race, the New York Mets brought back their ace, Johan Santana, early and he delivered, pitching a three-hitter that led them over the Florida Marlins 2-0 on a rainy Saturday.