Will this be Aaron Judge's final ride in pinstripes?

At 6-7 and 282 pounds, Aaron Judge already is larger than life. So it makes sense that he will loom over the Yankees’ postseason from first pitch to last.

The Yankees hope their postseason run will be a smash hit in three acts that ends with a parade on Broadway.

First, the Division Series against Cleveland that begins Tuesday night in the Bronx; then an ALCS rematch and vanquishing of the Houston Astros; finally, a World Series that ends with championship No. 28.

There will be no ticker tape to sweep up in early November, however, if Judge doesn’t perform the way he did in the regular season. He doesn’t have to set any postseason home run records, but he has to be the Yankees’ MVP, and that means key RBIs, whether the ball flies over the fence or not.

Also looming over this Yankees postseason: Will this be Judge’s final ride in pinstripes?

If he’s riding down the Canyon of Heroes, then probably not.

If not . . .

You can’t ignore the fact that Judge could be playing elsewhere in 2023, just as Mets fans this past weekend couldn’t shake the queasy feeling that they were seeing the last of Jacob deGrom in Flushing.

The Yankees and Judge couldn’t come together on a contract extension before the season, and Judge then had perhaps the best “I’ll show you” year in sports history.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged on Sunday that Judge has a “pot of gold” awaiting him in free agency. But there are a lot of teams with money, and there is a lingering whiff of bad feelings between Judge and the Yankees for the way the negotiations went (not well).

The nightmare scenario for the Yankees is a quick exit in the playoffs followed by Judge signing with his (sort-of) hometown Giants and opening next season in a San Francisco uniform at Yankee Stadium.

MLB’s schedule-makers probably had a chuckle when they came up with that one.

Could Judge take his heart to San Francisco or elsewhere? Sure, but it’s less likely if he’s hoisting the World Series trophy after an epic playoff performance. Winning has a way of bringing people together so they can paper over any past hard feelings.

As in paper money, thrown at Judge’s feet like so many roses by a jubilant Hal Steinbrenner.

All the focus was on Judge during his longer-than-it-should-have-been home run chase. As it dragged on, the inevitable seemed less so. If Judge didn’t feel the pressure, as he said throughout, then he is one of only a few humans who wouldn’t have in that awkward situation.

Now, with 62 home runs and the AL single-season record in his pocket, Judge can stride onto the postseason stage with the focus on his favorite part of competing: team goals.

“I’m relieved that it’s over with so that we can kind of go back to focusing on playing the game and winning the ballgame,” he said. “It was a little strange for a while. Every time you stepped to the plate, people expect you to hit a home run, and every time I step up there, I’m trying to help the team win. So it’s kind of a weird situation there.”

Judge proved during the home run chase that it’s really hard even for a long ball savant to hit one on command. The playoffs might even be easier for him, because the game won’t come to a stop when he walks to the plate.

Cleveland pitchers will attack or avoid Judge based on the game situation. Trying to stay out of the record books as a footnote to history won’t be a part of it.

Judge will take his regular swing, not his home run one, and will be a better hitter for it.

“Will he go deep?” is about to be replaced by “Will the Yankees go deep?”

And then, perhaps based on the answer to that question, the next one will be “Will he go?”

Asked his prediction for the postseason, Judge said: “I think you know my prediction.”

What about his prediction for what uniform he’ll be wearing in 2023?

OK, it’s not really the proper time to ask. Yet.

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.