Collins — the majors’ oldest manager, at 66 — was in a reflective mood after the game, noting that the victory took place on the 73rd anniversary of his late parents’ wedding. His mother, he said, let him stay home from fifth grade to watch the 1960 World Series, and now — in his third try as a major league manager, after never reaching the majors as a player — he is going there, too.

“We thought in spring training we’d have a chance to win, we really did,” Collins said. “But the injuries started to pile up, and Sandy went out and got us some help. I salute the job he did, the guys he brought in, and I salute ownership for buying into it, saying, ‘We’re close.’ We may never be close again, you don’t know. They went out and got us some help, and here’s the result of it.”

The Mets silenced the Cubs with their new style — a complete, quick-strike offense that would have seemed so unlike them just three months ago. Back then, the Mets’ threadbare lineup gasped for runs, threatening to waste all their dominant pitching. Healthy and fortified now, the hitters can practically do no wrong.

The Mets are at their best in the first inning, often because that is when Murphy bats. They scored in the first inning of every game of this N.L.C.S. — nine runs in all, an advantage that helped them make history.

An ultimate sweep — in which the losing team never leads, even for a moment — is rare for a best-of-seven series. It has happened only five other times in major league history, and never before in a best-of-seven N.L.C.S.

The Cubs’ hopes of holding a lead, let alone winning a game, died early on Wednesday. Granderson wore down starter Jason Hammel, slapping his seventh pitch to left for a single. With two outs, he stole second, continuing to exploit an edge the Mets uncovered in their advance scouting.