Aaron Judge stood near the batting cage, turned his back to the mound, and pointed his lumber toward the sky. If he was not facing the wrong direction, it might have seemed like he was imitating Babe Ruth’s called shot in the 1932 World Series.

In reality, Judge was trying to get the attention of the Stadium’s sound operator in an attempt to pump up the BP music before the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the Division Series. He pointed to his ear and shook his head before the volume immediately rose to a rock concert level, compelling Judge to respond with an approving smile.

What the big man wants, the big man gets. You hit 62 regular-season home runs as a New York Yankee, passing Babe Ruth and Roger Maris on the way to a storied American League record, and people are going to do what you ask them to do.

Including your fellow paid professionals. After last year’s wild-card loss in Boston, the Yankees were wallowing in what Judge called “the worst feeling in sports” — the deafening clubhouse silence that follows elimination — when the slugger ordered his teammates to remember the searing pain any time they didn’t feel like putting in the work to get better in the coming months.

So there they were Tuesday night, an improved version of their 2021 selves finally ready to open the only season that really matters. Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo were the home run heroes, not Judge, who struck out three times in all and yet didn’t allow two early whiffs to diminish his desire to impact the game another way.

With the Yankees holding a 2-1 lead in the sixth, Judge led off by working a walk against Cal Quantrill. His bat neutralized, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound right fielder decided to show off his NBA-level athleticism by stealing second with Rizzo at the plate. After Austin Hedges’ throw ended up in center field, Judge ended up on third base.

The Stadium exploded and, not coincidentally, Quantrill surrendered the Rizzo homer three pitches later.

“I’d like to take credit for it,” Judge said through a smile at his locker. “But I think I have to give that one to Rizzo.”

On a related front, Judge did credit himself for making it to third base on his own. “Now [Quantrill] can’t throw a bouncer in the dirt,” he said, “or I might score.” Quantrill threw one dead-red instead, and Rizzo launched it into the right-field seats to create the necessary separation in the game.

Later, the first baseman was asked about the noise Judge had created on the bases ahead of him.

“He’s a student of the game, and he’s well-rounded in every aspect,” Rizzo said. “And that’s what makes him so special. He’s not one-dimensional by any means. He’s the model of the five-tool player.”

When it was over, the Yankees could celebrate a successful postseason debut that didn’t require any moon shots from their best player. Of course, that wouldn’t change the calculus for Judge going forward. His personal home run derby made him the type of superstar who, naturally, will be expected now to deliver a worthy encore — namely, powering the Yankees’ to their first World Series title since 2009.

What else could be expected of the latest franchise player for a franchise that has won 27 championships, and that has packaged and sold October glory as its lead product in becoming a $7 billion empire?

But here’s something important to remember: Though Judge feels a responsibility to win a title for the team and for the fans, he doesn’t need any additional pressure to, in his words, “learn from those downfalls” of the past and “close this thing out.” He doesn’t deserve that pressure.

He should be rewarded for the precious gift he gave to the city and to the game. Judge was under an immense daily burden during the final weeks of the season, when it seemed the whole planet was sitting on his shoulders, and he delivered. He’s earned some room to breathe and some space to work. If this slow Division Series start happens to extend through Game 2, hey, he’s sure earned the benefit of the doubt.

At some point, in this round or the next one, Judge will need to break through for the Yankees to reach the World Series. Everyone knows that. So the slugger has a ton on the line here that goes beyond enhancing his uninspiring career playoff numbers.

“If he runs through a postseason to a championship and continues what he’s done in the regular season,” manager Aaron Boone said, “yeah, I mean, this is the most important month of the year in our sport. And you do it on this stage, and what he’s coming off of, that has to elevate it.”

Meanwhile, in pursuit of that elevated place, Judge shouldn’t be blitzed by the kind of pressure that hounded Alex Rodriguez until he finally won a ring in 2009. At least not yet.

“Nothing can take away from what Judge has already done,” said David Cone, four-time champ with the Yankees and YES Network analyst. “But he can do some damage in the playoffs and add to the legend.”

For now, let him try to add to the legend in relative peace.