Aaron Judge leads the Yankees to their first inning homer over the San Francisco Giants

Aaron Judge’s home run and new Opening Day strikeout record off of Gerrit Cole – it couldn’t have been much better for the Yankees against the Giants on a cold Thursday in New York.

Judge smashed a massive 422-foot putt deep into center field with only his second pitch of the game to give the Yankees a halftime lead and they never looked back, marking a 5-0 victory.

Judge’s homer wasn’t just his first of the season – it was his first of the entire season and he also finished with two RBIs. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe made his Yankees debut at shortstop and finished the game 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base.

Cole was absolutely emotional off the mound with 11 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants at Yankees Stadium. He also tied the Giants with three hits and two walks through six innings.

But it was Judge, the Yankees’ new captain, who set the tone for a team facing only its second pitch this season.

His booming hitting from pitcher Logan Webb sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy as the electric fielder continued with the electrification that saw him make American League history with 62 home runs in 2022 — surpassing the record set by the legendary Roger Maris.

While Judge rounded the groundwork to wild cheers from the 46,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, the Giants could have been forgiven for wondering what that could have been.

Late last year, with Judge seemingly deadlocked in talks with the Yankees over a new contract, he was firmly attached to returning to California, where he grew up, with the Giants.

But he struck a deal to stay on streaks in the end, signing a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay.

Then, off the mound, Cole would delay his end of the bargain. He scored seven straight hits to stifle any Giants attempt to build any momentum in response to the judge.

Glieber Torres hit a second home run in the fourth inning for the Yankees.