Vernon Wells hit a three-run homer off Mike Mussina in a nine-run fifth, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees 9-5 last night to snap a five-game losing streak.

Russ Adams added a two-run double in the inning, when the Blue Jays scored eight times off Mussina in their biggest inning since a their biggest inning since a ninerun sixth against the Angels on June 15, 1999, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They had seven hits off Mussina and Felix Rodriguez, and 10 consecutive batters reached with one out.

Mussina (12-8) hurt himself by allowing two walks and hitting a batter. He allowed eight runs in an inning for the first time since September 24,2003, against the White Sox, according to Elias.

Dave Bush (3-7) allowed five hits in six scoreless innings to win for the first time since August 3.

Hideki Matsui had three hits and drove in two runs for the Yankees, and pinch-hitter Bernie Williams added a three-run homer off Vinnie Chulk in the ninth. It was Williams’s first career pinch-hit homer.

The Yankees had their six-game home winning streak snapped and fell into a tie with Oakland for the AL wildcard lead.

“Just when you think you have everything rolling in your direction, and then something that doesn’t figure happens,” manager Joe Torre said. “That’s what happened tonight.”

Mussina had retired 11 straight batters after striking out Shea Hillenbrand to open the fifth. But he walked Corey Koskie and allowed singles to Gregg Zaun and Reed Johnson to load the bases, then lost control of the plate.

Eric Hinske was hit on the hand and Mussina walked Orlando Hudson to force in another run. Adams doubled to right made it 4-0 and scored on Frank Catalanotto’s single. Wells drove Mussina’s next – and last – pitch over the left-field fence for his 24th homer and an 8-0 lead.

Hillenbrand doubled off Rodriguez and scored on Koskie’s single to cap the inning. The Yankee Stadium crowd of 54,705 let out a huge roar when Zaun flied to center for the second out.

Mussina didn’t think he was pitching well, even when he seemed to get the Blue Jays out with ease early on.

“It wasn’t great stuff. I was just really fortunate getting people out,” Mussina said. “I didn’t warm up well, it just felt like one of those days when I was going to struggle. I was doing a better job of guessing where they were going to swing than they were guessing where I was going to throw.”

Bush allowed a leadoff double to Alex Rodriguez in the fourth, but came back to strike out Jason Giambi, Tino Martinez and Jorge Posada in succession.