HOUSTON — The kid could not even catch his breath before he was tested at shortstop in the first playoff start of his big-league life. If Oswald Peraza did not know that the ball always hunts you when you are under duress, he found out the hard way two pitches deep into Game 2 of the ALCS.

Jose Altuve hit a hard bouncer to short, and Peraza, stationed in the hole as part of the shift, went charging hard to his left. He slid into the back edge of the infield dirt as he fielded the grounder, then spun around as he rose and fired. Altuve was out by a step, and Luis Severino pointed his glove at the rookie to acknowledge his help.

A star was born in Texas? No, not quite. When the Yankees play in Minute Maid Park, they don’t ascend to any level of stardom. The Astros have one thing in common with the Steinbrenner family — they have owned the Yanks for a long time.

So it was no surprise that Aaron Boone and his players boarded their plane packing an 0-2 ALCS deficit. Boone made lineup changes to try to alter the dynamic of this series, and none made up for the talent gap between the home team and the visitors. Aaron Judge’s eighth-inning shot to right might’ve been a two-run homer if this were an indoor game — “I think the roof open kind of killed us,” Boone said — but guess what?

The open roof and the crosswinds didn’t cause the Yankees to add 13 strikeouts as their two-game total ballooned to 30.

If nothing else Thursday night, Boone did find himself a real, honest-to-God shortstop who might be playing there for a long time. Peraza should definitely be playing there for the rest of this postseason, even if that only lasts another two games.

He made two entertaining plays in the seventh as cherries on top of his first-inning sundae, charging a slow roller and throwing out Chas McCormick, and then executing a spinning, Fred Astaire-like dance move before throwing a bounce pass to Anthony Rizzo to complete a double play started by a pretty Gleyber Torres grab and flip.

“It’s a beautiful experience,” Peraza said of the night through an interpreter. “Of course we did not get the result we wanted, but very thankful … for the team to take me into consideration and allow me to be here and be part of it.”

Before the game, Torres had advised his new partner to keep his emotions under control.

“It’s just the same game,” Torres told him. “Just try to do the little things and just be fun. Don’t try to do too much. … Just be yourself”

Peraza followed those orders.

“Any time you get advice like that from a player like him,” he said, “it’s going to help you relax and calm yourself.”

With a level October heartbeat, Peraza will be a fascinating Yankee to watch. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was always a placeholder, a wobbly temp until a permanent resident moved into Derek Jeter’s home.

But you always heard the name Anthony Volpe when you heard about that home. He was the first-round pick, the kid from Jersey who worshipped the Jersey-born Jeter. They showed Volpe on the Stadium video board during the Cleveland series, and the countdown was already on.

Peraza has made the plot line more complicated. Thursday night, he was the one handed a monumental opportunity to play one of the storied positions in American sports.

At 22, he’s the same age as Jeter was when he made his first playoff start in 1996. Peraza played only 18 regular-season games for the Yanks, and made 11 starts at shortstop before being left off the ALDS roster. Boone saw enough of IKF’s IKF-ness against Cleveland, and voila, there Peraza was in Game 2 of the ALCS, batting eighth against Framber Valdez, one of the best in the business.

The rookie was a bit overmatched, striking out twice in three futile at-bats. There was no shame in that.

“I think he can be a good everyday major league shortstop,” Boone said.

Of course, people say the same about Volpe, who is ranked ahead of Peraza on all the prospect lists. Out of Venezuela, Peraza debuted in the minor league system in 2017. So he had the head start on Volpe, who made his system debut in 2019.

That’s why Peraza is in the playoffs, and Volpe is watching them on TV. Then again, in those 18 games with the Yanks, Peraza was good for a .306 batting average, a .404 on-base percentage, and a homer. He looked the part in the field too.

Is it possible that Peraza could run with this opportunity and make a second or third baseman out of Volpe?

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn’t say “no” when asked.

“Volpe is one but this guy is two, and nobody has any certainty if they’re correct or not,” the GM said. “Ultimately the game tells you at this level.”

The game told us Thursday night that Peraza is one of a small handful of people who can field the sport’s signature position like a full-time major leaguer.

In the end, Aaron Boone gave Oswald Peraza a chance to make his mark. Now the kid has to take it from there.