Aaron Judge wasn’t the only Yankee whose season was impacted by a lot of home runs. 

Gerrit Cole allowed a career-high 33 homers and more worrisome, he gave up nine of them in his final five starts, as the right-hander pitched to a 5.22 ERA down the stretch. 

After a rough outing during the AL wild-card game in Boston last year, when Cole didn’t make it out of the third inning, the Yankees’ ace has been given the Game 1 nod for the ALDS on Tuesday in The Bronx with much on the line. 

Cole was unusually tight-lipped prior to a workout Monday at Yankee Stadium, shooting down the notion that he struggled lately or that he might approach the start Tuesday against Cleveland any differently. 

“I think we’ve thrown the ball really well lately,” Cole said. “And our process has been crisp in between in identifying what we need to do better based on successes and failures.’’ 

The Yankees at least toyed with the idea of starting Nestor Cortes in Game 1, considering how well he pitched throughout the season, as well as in the second half, when Cole was far from dominant. 

If the Yankees seriously considered bumping Cole, though, they didn’t tell Cortes, who said he found out over the weekend he would start Game 2 on Thursday at the Stadium. 

Despite the home run issues, manager Aaron Boone said he’s confident Cole is up to the task to get the Yankees’ postseason off to a good start. 

And the team hasn’t done anything in particular to address the recent home run woes. 

“It’s more just making sure we are prepared and making sure he’s prepared as best we can,’’ Boone said. “[We’re] focused a lot on all the good that he’s done this year, and even down the stretch. You know, obviously, avoiding the long ball has been a bugaboo.” 

That has been especially true lately, although Boone said he considered Cole’s season to have been “really good.” 

Cole said he has handled his between-start routine the same, regardless of the numbers. 

“I feel like after every start, you evaluate what you could and could not have done better, and you prepare yourself for the … next one,” Cole said. 

But he continues to look for his big moment as a Yankee. 

“Obviously because it’s Gerrit Cole and he came here and signed the huge contract to be the long-term ace of the New York Yankees staff, nothing will ever be necessarily good enough,” Boone said. “But I think he’s had a very strong year. The home run ball has hurt him a little bit too … probably going to keep him from winning the Cy Young and things like that.’’ 

Instead, that award is likely going to Cole’s former Astros teammate, Justin Verlander, who re-signed with Houston last offseason and has left no doubt he’s the team’s No. 1 starter. 

That will all be forgotten — well, mostly — if Cole follows through with an impressive postseason run and takes the Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

“His stuff is still lights-out a lot of the time,’’ one AL scout said. “Just too many mistakes at the wrong times.” 

“There’s nothing we are doing [differently] … physically or prep-wise,’’ Boone said. “We’re leaning into how he’s going to go attack Cleveland, and then it comes down to execution. And if he executes, nobody’s better.’’ 

On the positive side, the Guardians hit just 127 home runs this year. Only the Tigers hit fewer. 

“I feel like he’s throwing the ball incredibly well,’’ Boone said. “I feel like he has all year. I feel like his stuff has been really consistent. The long ball has been the thing that’s kept it from being a Cy Young season, and there’s no reason to think he can’t go out there and dominate, and again, it comes down to execution. If he goes out and executes, we’ll be in a good spot.’’