The New York Yankees got off to a quick start in the AL wild-card game, and they had Aaron Judge to thank for it.

The Yankees slugger teed off on Oakland Athletics “opener” Liam Hendriks, launching an absolutely mammoth two-run home run in the first inning to open up the Yankees 7-2 victory.

Many were expecting a slugfest on Wednesday night. The Yankees pitching staff had other ideas. Starting pitcher Luis Severino set the tone with four hitless innings, before tiring in the fifth and turning it over to New York’s deep bullpen. Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman combined to record the final 15 outs, with the only blemish being Khris Davis’ two-run homer against Britton.

Judge made sure his teammates had an early cushion, smashing what was temporarily the hardest hit postseason home run since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

New Yankees hero Luke Voit provided some insurance in the middle innings, before Giancarlo Stanton capped the win and smashed Judge’s hardest hit homer record with his own blast.

For Judge, it’s already the fifth career postseason of his career. He’s off to a promising October start after missing much of the second half with a broken wrist. The Yankees will need him, Stanton and the entire lineup clicking when they head to Boston for the ALDS.

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