MILWAUKEE — Jose Quintana wanted this.

Last month he admitted that Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and David Peterson had created a solid top three in the Mets rotation.

“Definitely I want to be in the (postseason) rotation,” Quintana said on Sept. 7, “and I know I have to win that spot.”

He won it and the Mets season is in the 35-year-old’s left hand.

Quintana will get the ball for the vital Game 3 after the Brewers took a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning on Wednesday to cement the wild-card series at American Family Field.

On Thursday, the 13th-year big leaguer will take on rookie right-hander Tobias Myers in a battle of soft-tossers from different age groups.

The Mets’ pitching drainage has helped — Manaea, Severino and Peterson are unavailable — but Quintana has put himself in that position.

In a season-ending spurt, the veteran allowed just three earned runs in his final 36 ¹/₃ innings (0.74 ERA), elevating his status from a bullpen option in October to now the owner of the Mets’ most critical start of the season.

The bad news for Quintana and the Mets is that two of those runs were given up down the stretch in his last game, when Quintana lasted 4 ¹/₃ innings against the Brewers on Saturday.

He batted quite well, striking out nine hits.

Quintana has pitched well against the Brewers in the past and has pitched decently in the postseason, owning a 3.86 ERA in five games.

“I’m really excited,” said Quintana, who hasn’t pitched for the Cardinals since 2022, in October. “I think it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to play in the postseason again.”

Quintana saw Severino and Manaea put in solid, if not spectacular, performances in Games 1 and 2.

“Everything,” Manaea said of his trust in his rotation mate. “Q is amazing. He is a veteran, hits well and confidently.

“I think if anyone can do it, it’s him.”

It has to be that way, otherwise the Mets season would be over.

“Keep it up,” Quintana, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, said of his attitude. “Never change my approach. Keep throwing the ball like I did. … This is a really important game for us.”