Jose Contreras wriggled out of trouble all night at Yankee Stadium. One fan apparently put himself in much more serious danger and was fortunate to survive.

Contreras pitched shutout ball against his former team, and the Chicago White Sox got home runs from Paul Konerko and Tadahito Iguchi in a 2-1 victory last night over the Yankees.

The game was delayed for four minutes in the eighth inning when an 18-year-old fan, Scott Harper of Armonk, N.Y., plummeted about 40 feet from the upper deck onto the netting behind home plate.

“That was the only exciting thing that happened today,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

Harper told three friends he was sitting with that he was going to test whether the net would hold his weight – and then he jumped, police said.

Obviously shaken after he landed, Harper sat with his head in his hands for a few moments before climbing on the net back up to the loge level as players watched and the crowd roared. He was hoisted over the railing and led away by security.

After the game, Harper was carted from the ballpark on a stretcher, his head immobilized in a neck brace, and taken to Lincoln Hospital for observation.

He was arrested, and police expect to charge Harper with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct.

It was the second time in five years a fan fell or jumped from the upper deck at Yankee Stadium.

After Harper was pulled off the net by security, Cliff Politte retired Robinson Cano and Gary Sheffield with a runner on second to end the eighth.

Konerko hit his 28th homer leading off the ninth against Alan Embree.

Alex Rodriguez hit his AL-leading 33rd homer and third in three days leading off the bottom half against Politte. Bernie Williams, who missed the previous two games with a sore right shoulder, came off the bench for the Yankees with runners at the corners in the ninth. He was 5-for-6 against Chicago closer Dustin Hermanson before lining out to first to end the game.

Hermanson threw only one pitch for his 29th save in 30 chances.

The White Sox, who have the best record in baseball, rebounded nicely one night after the Yankees beat another ex-teammate, Orlando Hernandez.

Contreras (7-6) allowed only a first inning single to Cano, a leadoff single to Rodriguez in the fourth and a leadoff single to Tony Womack in the eighth. The big right-hander struck out six and walked two in seven-plus innings, outpitching Shawn Chacon.

“I think it’s my best outing in a major league uniform,” Contreras said.

“His arm angle was a little different. I think he threw a little more sidearm than when he was with us,” Derek Jeter said. “I think it caused his fastball to move more.”

The Yankees got another excellent outing from Chacon (0-1), the hardluck loser. He gave up only Iguchi’s fourth-inning homer and two singles in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 1.42 in three starts with New York since he was acquired from Colorado.

“That’s a tough loss,” Chacon said.

Chacon retired nine straight batters before Iguchi lofted a 1-1 pitch over the short porch in right field.