Streaking Reyes cut down on basepath

There are a number of reasons Alex Rodriguez, a three-time MVP, called Jose Reyes the "world's greatest player" before Friday night's Subway Series opener at Citi Field.

Unfortunately for the Mets, everything that makes Reyes an MVP candidate conspired against him in the seventh inning in a 5-1 loss to the Yankees.

Reyes went 2-for-5 for his 43rd multihit game, tops in the majors. But he also spontaneously combusted in the seventh when he was thrown out at third after a botched relay throw and manager Terry Collins was ejected.

"You act on your instinct, and his instinct said he should go to third," Collins said. "Sometimes you can't corral a guy who plays like that. I had no problem with it -- none whatsoever. He's done that all year for us. Nine out of 10 times he's safe."

With the Mets down 3-1, Reyes drilled a single up the middle and tagged up on Justin Turner's long fly to centerfield. Reyes, after sliding into second, noticed that Yankees shortstop Eduardo Nuñez had kicked the relay throw.

Reyes popped up and took off for third, and Nuñez delivered a perfect throw to A-Rod. Plate umpire Jerry Layne, who hustled up the line, called Reyes out, even though TV replays indicated that Rodriguez might have missed the tag.

"That's the way that I play," Reyes said. "I try to be aggressive on the basepaths, and nothing is going to change that."

Reyes jumped to his feet and got in Layne's face before he was separated from the umpire by third-base coach Chip Hale.

"I didn't feel any tag," Reyes said. "I didn't see the replay, but I didn't feel anything."

Collins quickly took his place, and after arguing for a while -- pressed up closely to Layne -- the manager was ejected.

"The only place he could have tagged him, in my opinion, was on his back somewhere," Collins said. "It's a tough call for an umpire. It really is. It's a tough angle."

A-Rod said: "I thought I just touched him a little bit on his sleeve. I saw the replay three or four times. Even then, I'm not sure."

Layne told a pool reporter: "I had him tagging him, you know, on the side, by the belt-buttocks area for an out. I called what I saw."

In June, Reyes had 45 hits, 29 runs, seven triples and 11 stolen bases in 26 games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no player has equaled that level of production during a calendar month since Ty Cobb had 68 hits, 33 runs, eight triples and 15 stolen bases in 30 games in July 1913.

Reyes has a big admirer in A-Rod, who gushed about the shortstop before the game.

"They have the world's greatest player right now playing shortstop over there," Rodriguez said. "All world, all world. I'm a huge baseball fan. Anytime you see a kid like Reyes, it's very exciting to me. If I wasn't playing third base, I would definitely buy a ticket and try to come all weekend because you have great players all over the field, and right now, there's not a player in the world that's playing at a higher level than Jose Reyes.''

With Erik Boland