NEW YORK — As Aaron Judge lofted a fly ball to deep center field in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, Gleyber Torres made a mistake.

The second baseman, unsure just how far the ball would travel on a windy night at Yankee Stadium, tagged up at first base. He wasn’t alone in the error, as Yankees first base coach Travis Chapman also encouraged the tag-up.

The two had to feel a bit silly when they watched the ball bounce off the exposed wall that separates the Yankees’ bullpen from Monument Park. If they didn’t, peers certainly made them feel that way after Judge’s first home run of the 2024 postseason padded a 6-3 win over the Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS.

“He did that this year earlier too when I hit (a homer), so I was pretty (expletive) then,” Judge joked when asked about Torres’ tag. “I was pretty (expletive) again.”

Judge ultimately went on to say he’d “let this one slide” given the conditions.

If the Yankees get their way, Judge will give Torres a few chances to redeem himself this October.

Judge led the majors with 58 homers this year, but his two-run shot on Tuesday was his first postseason blast since Game 5 of the 2022 ALDS. The Yankees went to the ALCS that year, but Judge didn’t have an extra-base hit in that series and batted .063 as the Yankees lost to the Astros in four games.

Prior to Tuesday’s dinger, Judge was 2 for 15 (.133) with one extra-base hit this postseason. Much has been made of the presumed MVP’s lackluster postseason play, but Judge has tried to tune out the noise.

“You’ve just got to stay focused on what you can control,” he said. “I’ve been booed here plenty of times. There’s been a lot of legends that played here that have been booed. It’s just part of it. You can’t focus on that.

“You’ve got to go out there. They want to see you win. They want to see you do well. You’ve just got to focus on what you can control. What I can control is what I do in the box and what I do on the field. All that other stuff, you just kind of ignore it and go out and have fun.”

Teammates, meanwhile, have remained supportive of the captain.

“The only place that he’s not doing well is maybe in some of the papers, but I’m pretty confident I know he doesn’t really look at any of that,” Anthony Rizzo said. “Whatever the narrative outside of this is the narrative, but inside, he does not falter from who he is every day.”

As Rizzo noted, Judge’s struggles have been well-documented, and they surely contributed to the Guardians’ decision to intentionally walk Juan Soto in the second inning of Game 2. The move loaded the bases for Judge, but he only put one run on the board with a sac fly. Cleveland stopped the bleeding there.

Afterward, Manager Aaron Boone said that it’s “always a matter of time” when it comes to Judge going deep. However, he understood his counterpart, Stephen Vogt, making the call to walk Soto.

“You got to pick your poison sometimes,” Boone said, but Judge’s swing had lacked toxicity. It wasn’t until a few innings later that he reminded everyone just how virulent his bat can be.

With the Yankees just two wins away from their first Fall Classic appearance since 2009, a power surge from MLB’s home run champ would make things easier for a club that is 5-1 this month despite some imperfect play.

With the ALCS moving to Cleveland on Thursday, Progressive Field will provide a challenge for Judge. He hasn’t had much regular season luck there, going 15 for 70 (.214) with just two home runs. That’s the fewest home runs he’s hit in any ballpark that he’s played at least 20 games in.

RED SOX: The Boston Red Sox said outfielder and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida has had successful surgery to repair the cartilage in his right shoulder and is targeting Opening Day for a return.

The team said Yoshida had right shoulder labral repair on Oct. 3.

Yoshida, 29, batted .280 with 10 homers and 56 RBI last season, his second since coming from Japan to sign with Boston.

YANKEES: Nestor Cortes is on track to possibly be added to the Yankees’ roster if they advance to the World Series.

Cortes was to throw batting practice Wednesday at Yankee Stadium before New York headed to Cleveland with a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.

The 29-year-old left-hander hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 18 because of a flexor strain in his pitching elbow.

“I think he’s at least a realistic option,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said. “Not saying for sure, but the timeline lines up to where if things go well, he could definitely be an option.”

Cortes is 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA. He could throw batting practice again this weekend, giving the Yankees time to evaluate him before the World Series starts on Oct. 22 or 25.

“He’s got steps to go and he’s got to continue to feel good and bounce back and things like that,” Boone said, “but the way it’s gone to this point has been encouraging.”

New York and Cleveland resume their best-of-seven series on Thursday.

PADRES: NL batting champion Luis Arraez had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.

The Padres said they expect Arraez to begin an offseason hitting program in about eight weeks and to be at full strength by the start of spring training.