NEW YORK -- Running full steam ahead into foul territory, Oswaldo Cabrera scaled the wall separating the field of play from the fans on their feet near the corner in left. As he lunged his glove above his head, he made contact with one particular fan trying to claim a souvenir.

Cabrera lost his cap in the crowd, but he came away with the ball.

Center fielder Harrison Bader flexed his muscles. Starter Gerrit Cole applauded from the mound. And manager Aaron Boone, who had the perfect vantage point from his spot in the dugout -- well, he saw it coming.

“As that ball is going up there with a slice on it, I’m feeling like he’s got a chance with this ball,” Boone said Wednesday. “I felt like he approached it very well, was very much under control, and then you never know how the crowd comes into play. …

“[It was] more of the same of what we’ve seen ever since we brought him up.”

• Postseason ticket information

Yet again, Cabrera had made a catch that left his teammates speechless and left Yankee Stadium roaring with approval. But this time, on Tuesday night in the Bronx, it was in the postseason, the first of his young career.

As the Yankees claimed a 4-1 win in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Cabrera came up big with one of its lasting moments.

“I was just excited for the game and excited for the postseason,” he said Wednesday. “I was not thinking in that moment. It just happened.”

• Bader's first Yanks homer the stuff of childhood dreams

Cabrera threw the ball in toward the infield and then went back and retrieved his cap, dapping up the fan with his glove. The defensive positioning card that he keeps tucked inside was missing, but he didn’t think too much of it; he just got a new one when he returned to the dugout. Whether the fan ended up with a souvenir after all is anyone’s guess.

Since the 23-year-old was called up Aug. 17, defense has been his calling card. In the first weekend of his big league career alone, Cabrera robbed a home run in right field, snagged a foul popup while crashing into the tarp as a third baseman and completed a Derek Jeter-esque jump throw at shortstop.

But across six-plus years as a Minor Leaguer, Cabrera had only played four games in the outfield, compared to more than 500 as an infielder -- a “really talented” one at that, says Boone. Cabrera started training in the outfield last offseason, however, just in case the Yankees came calling.

Even he has been caught off guard by how well it has worked out in his favor.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m surprised by that,” Cabrera said. “But at the same time, it’s the work that we were putting in on it. I never thought that I was going to make plays like that, but we were working toward it.”

The sense of fearlessness Cabrera demonstrates in the field is a product of that preparation. The Yankees knew the potential he held, and they embraced his desire to become a more well-rounded player. He has impressed them on offense just as much, hitting .247 with 19 RBIs and a .741 OPS in 44 games down the stretch, including a grand slam and a walk-off knock.

But Cabrera’s defensive versatility was always his most appealing quality. That, as well as his style of playing the game “with a little bit of a swagger to him.”

“His makeup suggests that this guy is going to be able to handle this,” Boone said. “He’s very mature. He’s a very confident baseball player. He works really hard. He processes information really well. … He gets after it, and he’s not afraid.”

Cabrera has already proven that to be the case during his short time on the roster. And on his first October night in New York, he did so on the biggest stage.

“I just try to do the things that I have to do to help the team win, and that happened yesterday,” he said. “I feel so good about it. … It was awesome. An awesome night for me.”