It only takes one play.

Endy Chavez the architect behind one of the most iconic catches in Mets history, became one of the most beloved figures ever to play for the Mets when he robbed St. Louis’ Scott Rolen of a two-run home run in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.

The catch now resides in the memories of nostalgic Mets fans, who revisit it from time to time to return to more joyful occasions. An under-the-radar player before, Chavez etched his place in New York history with one miraculous leap.

“I always joke that I made a lot of good catches, but that was the famous one,” Chavez told The Post. “I joke with my teammates and my friends — all it takes to be famous in the majors is one catch. That year, I hit .300 for the first time in my career and nobody talked about it. It’s just the catch.”

Chavez, now 41, returned just miles away from where he made the catch to begin his career as a coach with the Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

Chavez retired after playing 21 years in professional baseball and 13 years in the MLB, most recently hitting .328 in the Venezuelan Winter League. Though he no longer has teammates, his breakthrough is perhaps more poignant with the players now under his command just starting their professional careers.

Chavez continued to play well in Venezuela but said he felt his body slowing down. However, he simply loves baseball too much to step away from the game altogether, and now hopes to use his 21-year experience to help mold the next generation of players.

This is Chavez’s first coaching gig, but his prior leadership roles as a player have helped him adjust rather quickly.

“I don’t think it’s that hard,” Chavez said. “I remember my last three years in the majors, I was used to being a player-coach. All the younger guys, especially the outfielders, the managers told me, ‘Endy, he’s yours. You know what to do,’ and stuff like that. I’ve been doing that kind of job, even when I was still playing.”

Once he decided he wanted to start his coaching career, Chavez had his eyes set on the Mets organization. New York was his first choice, and the mutual fondness helped make the move happen. Specifically, Edgardo Alfonzo, who played eight seasons with the Mets and is now the Cyclones manager, helped bring Chavez to Coney Island and has mentored him in his new role.

It has been 13 years since the catch, and Chavez still doesn’t know how he came down with the ball in a game the Mets still lost, 3-1.

“As soon as I saw the ball hit to left field, I knew it was going to be by the fence, or it’s gone,” Chavez said. “My reaction was to get to the fence as quickly as I can. The ball kind of beat me, and I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t get to the fence faster than the baseball,’ so on my way to the fence I just tried to time it and make a jump so I can try to catch it.

“I did everything to get to that point and put my glove out there on time, and the ball came in my glove. At that point, with the contact with the fence, and the contact with the ball and my glove, my glove almost fell off. I tried to grip it, but I thought I threw the ball in the air, and I thought, ‘At least it’s not a homer,’ and then I saw it in my glove, and I was like, ‘Well, it’s here.’ ”

Chavez may have officially moved on to the next chapter of his baseball career, but memories of the catch aren’t going anywhere.

“Everybody thinks they still remember the catch like last week,” Chavez said with a smile. “It’s been a lot of years since, and I’m still signing pictures, I still hear about it. It’s something that I appreciate. … I still remember how the crowd was crazy in there. I thought that stadium was going to fall in. They just started yelling my last name, and I go out for the curtain call. I went out twice — that was a special moment for me.”