New York ? Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui rocketed the ball into the upper deck — and gave Cuban defector Jose Contreras a big lift, too.

Matsui broke a tie with a three-run homer in the sixth inning to give Contreras his first major-league victory as the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-9, in a wild game Monday night.

“Matsui’s a professional,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “I couldn’t be more pleased about the way he approaches the game. And Contreras, he’s working hard and his attitude is great. We need to find spots for him.”

Jorge Posada and Raul Mondesi also homered for the Yankees in the sloppy game that lasted 4 hours, 8 minutes and saw 12 pitchers walk a total of 21 batters and hit three more. The teams also combined for three errors.

Matsui hit a 3-1 pitch off reliever Aquilino Lopez (0-1) into the third row of the upper deck in right to make it 9-6 in the sixth.

The Japanese slugger was 2-for-3 with two walks, raising his average to .306 and increasing his team-leading RBI total to 14. He has two homers, the first a grand slam against Minnesota in his first game at Yankee Stadium.

“This was my first game like this in the major leagues,” Matsui, speaking through a translator, said of the mistake-filled game. “These type games happen sometimes and you just have to stay focused. Winning one like this feels great.”

Contreras (1-0), making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium after last pitching on April 6 in Tampa Bay, worked a scoreless sixth for the victory after allowing Eric Hinske’s two-out RBI single in Toronto’s four-run fifth.

“I was very anxious to pitch in Yankee Stadium,” Contreras said. “Thankfully, I was able to pitch today and help us win. It got a little complicated at the end, but we pulled it out. … Physically I’m in perfect shape. I need to work on my control. That has always been my strength.”

Rangers 4, Angels 0

Arlington, Texas — Ismael Valdes threw eight sharp innings, and Carl Everett homered twice to help Texas snap Anaheim’s five-game winning streak. Valdes (2-1) allowed only five singles, coming just three outs short of his sixth career shutout. He struck out seven, walked two and threw 75 of his 119 pitches for strikes.

Mariners 4, Athletics 3

Seattle — Jeff Cirillo hit a two-run shot in the sixth inning for his first homer of the season, lifting Seattle past Mark Mulder and Oakland. Ramon Hernandez homered for the A’s, who have dropped five straight after starting the season 7-1. They did not have a five-game losing streak all of last season.