NEW YORK -- Within the confines of the Mets' clubhouse, the overriding sound was something titled "Glad 2 B Alive," recorded by someone called T-Pain and played at a decibel level that endangered the membranes of the ear. As they celebrated, the players acknowledged they preferred that to music. The lyrics, such as they were, were appropriate, they said.

The same blasted recording sent "thump ... thump ... thump" through cinderblock and countless layers of paint and into the corridor that connects parts of the Shea Stadium underground. Percussion disguised as melody sounded like a heartbeat.

The Mets have one. Now we're sure of it.

A team doesn't accomplish what the Mets did on Wednesday night if it doesn't have a heartbeat that is audible without a stethoscope. The Mets won, 7-6, in 12 innings, over the Marlins; make that the first-place Marlins. They scored twice in the 12th.

They beat the Marlins, then they beat their chests. And they promised to remember the feeling and the method.

"We'd like to do it a few more times," manager Willie Randolph said.

For the first time in a long time, the Mets experienced afterglow. Their rousing victory stayed with them, and they stayed around to revel in the thumping. On this night the first half of the "Never too high, never too low" mantra/warning was not in effect. This troubled team finally remembered how to come from behind and win late. Superlatives gushed from their mouths.

Even through all the losing and gloom and speculation about Randolph, there always were two or three players who would say, "We're a good team," even one or two who substituted "great" for good. But there was zero evidence to support their claim.

Finally, on Wednesday night, the Mets did what good teams -- and great teams -- do, what they hadn't done too often.

"We finally got one," Aaron Heilman said.

Not only did they win in 12 when Fernando Tatis doubled home two runs, they didn't lose in nine. And that had been a distinct possibility given their recent past and the score, 5-4, before Endy Chavez led off.

Indeed, the Mets had trailed entering the ninth inning in 24 games before Wednesday and never executed a reversal. Moreover, the Marlins had lost none of the 25 games in which they led after eight innings.

Then Chavez hit his first home run since May of last year, and, as Wagner would say later, "We knew we'd get this one."

But not before more drama -- a fastball from winning pitcher Duaner Sanchez that put Alfredo Amezega on the seat of his pants with two out in the 12th and, after one more pitch, a home run by Amezega, seldom a slugger.

"Wanted to make it more exciting" is how Sanchez defended the pitch Amezega that smoked.

But Chavez had put the Mets in the mood for a renaissance. David Wright batted first against losing pitcher Justin Miller. And just as Randolph would have it, Wright walked. Then Carlos Beltran reached a full count, thus Wright could be running on the payoff pitch. And when Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez moved to cover second base, Beltran lined a single through undefended territory, and Wright reached third.

"We wanted to win as a team," Randolph said. "No one had to be the hero or be on SportsCenter. We just wanted to make sure we ended up with more runs than the other guys. And that's the approach we needed to take. We simplified it -- 'Help the next guy. Take a walk, make it easier for him.' Their guy [Miller] is trying to feed off our aggressiveness. He was thinking we had guys who wanted be heroes. We had to be smart."

Miller (1-2) struck out Damion Easley before Tatis scorched his line drive to left field. A double was certain, and when the Marlins botched the relay, a victory was, too.

Beltran couldn't wait to touch the plate, and when he did, the Mets partied like it was 2006.

"That's the kind of game we always won in '06," Wright said. "Those are the games when you build confidence and get swagger."

Tatis had started in right field for the second straight night because Ryan Church is still unavailable, and he contributed three RBIs on Wednesday after two on Tuesday.

"He played like a winning player," Randolph said. "We caught a little spark [on Tuesday] night. He helped. It carried over. Now we have to keep it going and sneak past some teams."

Yeah, because no one ever notices New York teams.

Before the Mets could win, they had to avoid losing, and their bullpen fueled that effort. Between six flawed innings by the pendulum-ic Oliver Perez and Sanchez's second inning, the 'pen dominated for five frames. Scott Schoeneweis, Aaron Heilman, Wagner and then Sanchez faced 15 batters, allowed nary a baserunner and struck out eight -- four by Heilman in his two splendid innings.

"Not one hiccup. Are you kidding me?" Wagner said.

Perez surrendered three home runs, accounting for five runs, in his messy start. Cody Ross hit two, the second coming with two runners on base in the sixth inning. Mike Rabelo hit the other.

Perez pitched adequately otherwise, but his lapses were quite damaging, and when he departed, he was in position to take his fourth loss in seven starts.

He had been afforded leads of 2-0 and 3-1. The second home run of the year by Luis Castillo, in the first inning, gave Perez some margin for error, and Tatis' first RBI, on a sacrifice fly, reinstated it in the fourth. Ross hit a leadoff home run in the fifth, offsetting Tatis' contribution, but then Jose Reyes led off the Mets' fifth with his seventh home run, against reliever Doug Waechter.

Ross batted again in the sixth after Perez had allowed a one-out walk to Wes Helms and a base hit by Dan Uggla off Wright's glove at third base. His second home run was the ninth against Perez in what now is 59 2/3 innings.

The Mets had merely two baserunners after Reyes' home run and before Chavez hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career. It was the first home run Gregg had allowed after 25 1/3 innings. He had converted 10 of 11 save opportunities.

"But that home run got us thinking," Wagner said. "The bullpen kept us going, and Endy's shot said we can do it. And we did it. Now we have to win tomorrow [against the Dodgers], have to. Now you've got three in a row, and you say to yourself, 'Hey, this winning thing is a lot more fun.' I hope we get there."