MLB

JETER BREAKS RECORD

Derek Jeter reached a milestone last night that allowed him to take another step with Yankee royalty, a fraternity he long ago joined.

Sore-shouldered Andy Pettitte wasn’t as fortunate, since he established a career-high for losses when he was saddled with a 6-2 defeat by the White Sox last night in front of 52,558 at Yankee Stadium.

And the Yankees took another step toward elimination as well as the end of the current Yankee Stadium, which closes Sunday. The Yankees’ tragic number against the Red Sox is three and four versus the Devil Rays.

Jeter’s first-inning single pushed him to the top of the Stadium’s hit list with 1,270. Jeter, who went 2-for-3, started the game tied with Yankees icon Lou Gehrig.

Pettitte, one of the premier second-half pitchers in baseball history, continued a post All-Star break slide. His fifth straight loss lowered his record to 13-14. Pettitte had never lost more than 13 games in a professional season. He was 14-13 for the Astros two seasons ago.

In six innings Pettitte allowed four runs and seven hits. In Pettitte’s last five starts he is 0-5 with a 6.91 ERA.

Pettitte, who underwent an MRI on his left shoulder this past weekend, is slated to start the final game at the current Stadium Sunday. Since his shoulder is barking, that could be the reason Joe Girardi replaced him with Jose Veras after Pettitte threw a season-low 77 pitches.

“I don’t like to talk about it because I feel, no matter how I feel, that I should win,” Pettitte said Monday about the shoulder. “I just think I need an off-season.”

Jeter needed a little help from the official scorer to pass Gehrig for the most hits in the current Yankee Stadium’s history.

Jeter hit a grounder to White Sox third baseman Juan Uribe in the first inning with Johnny Damon on first and no outs.

Uribe played what could have been a double play ball to the side and it went under his glove. Bill Shannon ruled it a hit and Jeter had his 1,270th hit at the Stadium.

“The ball skidded on him and he couldn’t stop it,” Shannon said of the decision to not give Uribe an error.

Gehrig was on top of the list since Sept. 6, 1937 according to Elias Sports Bureau. The hit came in Jeter’s 8,002 at-bat as a Yankee and put him ahead of Gehrig into second place on the all-time club list. Mickey Mantle leads with 8,102.

A problem that is the biggest reason the Yankees won’t play next month surfaced when the Yankees went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

White Sox starter Gavin Floyd went seven innings, allowed nine hits and two runs. He is 16-7.

george.king@nypost.com