Terry Collins took full responsibility for the whiplash suffered by Johan Santana last night at Yankee Stadium.
The Mets manager could have used his ace on regular four days’ rest after Santana threw the first no-hitter in franchise history last Friday.
Concerned the stress and elevated pitch count had taken a toll on Santana’s surgically repaired left shoulder, Collins opted to give Santana six days of rest before last night’s Subway Series opener against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
“I was responsible for the way he pitched tonight,’’ Collins said. “He was rusty. That’s my fault.’’
Unable to throw his breaking pitches for strikes, Santana was punished for leaving fastballs above the belt and gave up four homers — three consecutive in the third inning — on the way to a 9-1 beating in front of a sellout crowd of 48,566.
In five frames, Santana (3-3) gave up six runs and seven hits and was constantly snapping his neck to follow the flight of the four homers.
“Every mistake he made he got hammered,’’ Collins said.
The first of two Robinson Cano homers came in the second. Cano, Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones went back-to-back-to-back against Santana in the third.
Hiroki Kuroda’s brilliant night had a disappointing ending when he was struck on the left foot below the ankle by a David Murphy liner in the seventh that carried to Alex Rodriguez in the air for the final out.
X-rays were negative but Kuroda was walking with crutches and a heavy compression wrap in the clubhouse and left the ballpark. He was optimistic he would make his next start but that remains a question mark.
“If he can’t put weight on it then we are looking at some time,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said of Kuroda, who allowed no runs and one hit — a two-out double by Omar Quintanilla in the sixth.
Asked if Kuroda’s next start on Wednesday in Atlanta is in jeopardy, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, “Any time you get hit on the foot you have to be concerned.’’
Kuroda (5-6) faced the minimum through five innings because after Derek Jeter’s fielding error on Josh Thole’s routine grounder in the fourth, Kuroda induced David Wright to hit into a bat-shattering, 5-4-3 double play. Kuroda retired the first two batters in the sixth before Quintanilla, the No. 9 batter, laced an opposite-field double to left-center.
“I don’t think it’s an easy task,’’ said Kuroda, who wasn’t confident he could throw a no-hitter. “I just wanted a win.’’
The victory was the Yankees’ 11th in 15 games and improved their record to 32-25. They are one-half game back of the AL East-leading Rays. The Mets lost their fourth in five games and are 32-27.
One night after shouldering the blame for not coming through in the clutch against the Rays in a 7-3 loss, Cano stroked his ninth and 10th homers with an aggressive approach.
“He throws a lot of strikes, you don’t want to be behind in the count,’’ said Cano, who hit a first-pitch fastball in the second and a first-pitch slider in the third for homers.
While Collins took the bullet for Santana’s spanking, the pitcher didn’t believe the extended break was the reason.
“The rest was good, I didn’t have my feeling for the change-up,’’ said Santana, who threw a career-high 134 pitches against the Cardinals in the no-hitter.
Collins said there was no concern about Santana’s shoulder and Santana said he is fine but it wouldn’t be a surprise if, after last night, he iced his neck as well as his shoulder.
george.king@nypost.com