Mets pin costly loss on Yankees

NEW YORK — Endy Chavez turned around the Subway Series opener, much like the Mets and Yankees have reversed fortunes this season.

Chavez’s first home run of the year, a go-ahead, two-run shot off Andy Pettitte in the fifth inning, led the New York Mets to a 3-2 victory Friday night at Shea Stadium that dropped their cross-town rivals 10 games back in the American League East for the first time in the Joe Torre era.

Chavez also threw out Johnny Damon trying to stretch a game-opening hit to left into a double, and the Yankees’ sputtering offense rarely threatened after that.

Oliver Perez (5-3) limited the Yankees to only Hideki Matsui’s two-run homer in the fourth inning. After Matsui’s homer, the Yankees didn’t get a runner past first base. Perez gave up five hits in 7 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked two.

While the Mets (27-14), coming off their first National League East title since 1988, opened a two-game lead over second-place Atlanta, the nine-time defending AL East champion Yankees (18-22) fell 10 games behind division-leading Boston.