Aaron Judge flashes the leather in two key spots for Yankees

In this year of the homer, Aaron Judge started his postseason by showing off his glove.

Judge also reached base three times and scored twice — but it was the two diving catches he made in right field that made the biggest difference in the Yankees’ 10-4 win over the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS in The Bronx.

He made his first highlight-reel play with one out in the top of the third, robbing Jorge Polanco of a flare single. Nelson Cruz followed with a homer that was less damaging because no one was on base.

But Judge’s most important play came in the top of the seventh. With Polanco on first and two out, Zack Britton gave up a liner to right Eddie Rosario.

Judge ran toward the right-field line and made an outstanding catch, laying out to record the final out and protect a three-run lead.

“This is the postseason,” Judge said. “You’ve got to make those plays.”

Aaron Boone knows how much Judge’s defense matters.

“He’s so good out there,’’ Boone said. “Obviously, two great plays where he lays out for balls. You see the other things he does so well just fundamentally sound, just getting behind balls to get himself into position to make throws.”

“The work he puts out there, he always seems to be in the right spot,” Brett Gardner said of Judge’s defense. “He’s a difference-maker.”

Boone admitted to being anxious seeing Judge crashing into the ground, considering he banged up his right shoulder on Sept. 18 trying to make a diving catch similar to the one he made on Polanco. It limited Judge in the field for several games before he finished the season well, with three homers in his final seven games.

“I stepped up on the top step, but I felt like I saw it pretty well and kept it on the chest,’’ Boone said of Friday’s play. “I felt like we were OK with that one.”

On Thursday, Judge said: “It creeps into your mind when you first dive and kind of jar things up.”

At the plate, the Yankees got homers from DJ LeMahieu and Brett Gardner, who continued their stellar years with big blows, but Judge made his presence felt.

He followed LeMahieu’s leadoff hit by ripping a single to center in the third. After Gardner lined out to right, Edwin Encarnacion doubled to left to score LeMahieu and Judge and Encarnacion came around when the Twins flubbed a surefire double play ball hit by Gleyber Torres.

Judge also led off the fifth with a walk and scored on Torres’ two-run double that gave the Yankees the lead for the first time of the night.

“I felt every at-bat he had tonight he was all over everything,” Boone said. “Just what might get lost in that 10-run game is the two big defensive plays that he made out in right.”