Four pitches into his most important game of the year to date, Aaron Judge belted a two-run homer off the American League’s likely Cy Young Award winner. In his view, that swing set the tone for a Wild Card Series sweep of the Indians, powering confidence that the Yankees can continue to surge through the later rounds.

“To me, the regular season is kind of like Spring Training,” Judge said on Sunday, the eve of New York’s AL Division Series showdown with the Rays. “The real season is the playoffs. You want to see a team that shows up in the postseason. That’s what we’re going to see.”

Judge’s long ball off right-hander Shane Bieber was his only hit of the Wild Card Series, and his first homer since Aug. 11, when he sustained a right calf strain. Judge said that he used his final 10 games of the regular season to hone his timing and expected that the power would return when he needed it.

“There was never any concern,” Judge said. “We didn’t really have any chance to have rehab games to work the kinks out, see pitches, put the ball in play. We got thrown right into games going down the stretch when it mattered. I wasn’t too concerned about trying to hit home runs. Once the postseason comes, I’d be ready to go.”

Judge said that he and Giancarlo Stanton spent extra time working with hitting coach Marcus Thames prior to the Cleveland series, seeing the high-velocity machine frequently. Since arriving in San Diego, Judge has spent part of the last two days patrolling right field at Petco Park, gauging the speed of balls on the grass and searching the walls for odd angles.

“We’ve got a lot of homework to do,” Judge said. “We’re excited for it. Pressure is a privilege. There’s going to be a lot of pressure situations that we get thrown into throughout this postseason. I think that’s what makes this team so special. We’re not running from those bases loaded, two outs, game on the line spots. We’re embracing them.”

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Flush the numbers
The Yankees lost eight of 10 meetings with the Rays this season, but as far as Luke Voit is concerned, that serves as no indication of how this ALDS will play out.

“We’re a lot healthier, and these games are a lot more meaningful,” Voit said. “They have good pitching, and they’ve figured ways to score runs against us, so you’ve got to give them credit. But I think we’re a lot different team than when we faced them during the regular season. I feel good about us. We’ve got a really tough lineup, and I think we’re going to do a lot of damage against them.”

The Yankees last played the Rays on Sept. 2, when New York was missing Judge, Stanton and Gleyber Torres. Voit said that having ace Gerrit Cole on the mound in Game 1 gives New York an advantage.

“We paid him to pitch in October. It’s a lock,” Voit said. “Everyone knows that. We need him to go out there to throw seven or eight strong innings and do what he does best.”

Voit said that the four days between the end of the Cleveland series and Monday’s ALDS opener should provide a health benefit as he continues to manage what manager Aaron Boone has referred to as “foot stuff,” which is likely a case of plantar fasciitis.

“It’s nice not having to wear cleats right now,” Voit said. “That’s a big thing. I’ve been able to get a lot of treatment done. I haven’t had any pain, but I’m sure it will find a way to come back in this series. It’s something I can keep grinding through.”

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Bombers bits
Boone said that the Yankees have not decided on their Game 2 starter. Masahiro Tanaka started the second game of the Wild Card Series, but Boone is also looking to work J.A. Happ and Deivi García into the mix.

“We’ve got a good opponent,” Boone said. “We’re just figuring out how we want to line it up after Gerrit.”

This date in Yankees history
Oct. 4, 2009: Alex Rodriguez homers twice and collects seven RBIs in the Yankees’ 10-run sixth inning, powering a 10-2 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. The display allows Rodriguez to complete the regular season with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.