MLB

REST PAYS OFF FOR SHEFFIELD

Four days of rest evidently did Gary Sheffield some good.

METS BLOG

BOX SCORE

On a night almost nothing worked for the Mets, the one positive they could glean from their 9-1 loss to the Yankees was Sheffield not only survived nine innings in right field at Citi Field, he was his old self at the plate.

Sheffield, who received a cortisone shot for his ailing right hamstring and knee earlier in the week, gave the Mets their only run, launching a fifth-inning home run against CC Sabathia.

The 40-year outfielder later said the cortisone shot must have hit the spot.

“I felt good — especially going at balls in the corner,” Sheffield said. “I went pretty hard, and that was encouraging. I did get something out of it from that standpoint.”

Sheffield certainly enjoys hitting against the Yankees. In four games this season against his former team he has homered three times — accounting for one-third of his team-leading nine homers. Overall, he’s batting .368 against the Yankees this season with five RBIs.

Sabathia had retired the first 12 batters he faced before Sheffield, batting cleanup, crushed a hanging slider into the left field seats leading off the fifth, pulling the Mets within 4-1.

How big is Sheffield to the Mets these days? Consider that no member of last night’s lineup has half as many homers as Sheffield. David Wright and Omir Santos both have four.

Sheffield even has managed to handle cavernous Citi Field — he has hit five homers here.

“I’ve played at big stadiums, but nothing like this,” Sheffield said. “At the same time, when you play in big stadiums, I was always told you try to hit the ball to the biggest part and you wind up hitting home runs.”

mpuma@nypost.com