NEW YORK – After the Yankees survived Opening Day, Aaron Judge was full of praise for the pinstriped youth.

“We’ve got a younger team, a quicker team’’ that “took some professional at-bats,’’ said the Yankees captain. “I’m excited about…what they can do.’’

Devin Williams had just closed out a 4-2 win against his old mates, the Milwaukee Brewers, preserving an historic day for Austin Wells and keeping the Day One optimism going at Yankee Stadium.

Other than Judge and Paul Goldschmidt, the Yankees rolled out a lineup with seven players under-age 30, though none were named Juan Soto.

And so, the Soto-less route back to an AL pennant began on a cool, clear Thursday afternoon, with Anthony Volpe also going deep against the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta, backing a solid start by Carlos Rodon.

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Devin Williams’ highwire act

This was Williams’ pinstriped introduction to the Bronx faithful, and he instantly agitated a crowd that, until the ninth, seemed somewhat subdued for a Yankee opener.

“Didn’t think my command was the best today,’’ said Williams, author of the famous “Airbender’’ changeup. “It wasn’t the easiest one. They kind of made me work.’’

In his free agent walk year, Williams – traded for Nestor Cortes, Saturday’s Brewers starter – has fashioned an ERA under 2.00 over the last three seasons.

But as he loaded the bases with none out Thursday, you might have flashed to how his season ended with Milwaukee last season – yielding Pete Alonso’s clinching homer to advance the Mets in postseason.

After yielding a run, Williams fanned Jackson Chourio (0-for-5, 5 Ks) on an Airbender and got the dangerous Christian Yelich swinging through a full-count fastball.

An assist to Austin Wells

At one point, Wells came out from the catcher’s box to give Williams a breather.

“Even as a rookie (in 2024), he fit right in,’’ Judge said of Wells. “He’s always focused on the guys around him.’’

“Helping Devin get through (the ninth), that give me more pride,’’ Wells said, compared to his offense, though “it’s cool’’ to be the first Yankees’ catcher ever to bat leadoff.

It was even cooler to become the first catcher since 1900 to hit an Opening Day leadoff home run, and the first Yankee – in their 123-year history – to homer leading off a season opener, per Elias.

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Without a genuine leadoff-type hitter, Aaron Boone might further experiment with the No. 1 spot, and Goldschmidt should be leading off against the lefty Cortes on Saturday.

But when Boone told the lefty-hitting Wells last month about possibly batting him first, “I didn’t really take it seriously,’’ said Wells. “I thought he was messing with me…but here we are.’’

Wells launched six homers during exhibition play, so, “we’ve seen it all spring,’’ Judge said. “He really set the tone for the whole day.’’

Aaron Boone’s late game strategy

After Rodon exited with two on, one out in the sixth, lefty Tim Hill worked out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve a 2-1 Yanks’ lead.

From there, Boone trusted the seventh inning not to Fernando Cruz but to Mark Leiter Jr., who got a groundout (on a good backhand play by Volpe at shortstop) and two strikeouts, featuring his signature splitter.

When working, that is a lethal swing-and-miss pitch, and it’s the reason the Yankees traded with the Chicago Cubs to get him at the trade deadline.

From there, you know the formula: It’s Luke Weaver (one walk, two strikeouts) for the eighth, bridging it to Williams.

Also, Boone brought in Trent Grisham to play center field with a 4-1 lead, taking out Jasson Dominguez and switching Cody Bellinger from center to left.

Dominguez wasn’t tested defensively in his first MLB Opening Day, but he’s under close watch due to some early struggles making the switch from center field.

Day One, no Soto, no problem

It’s a different feeling without Soto’s heavy presence in the No. 2 spot, with Judge – coming off an MVP season – batting next.

“But these guys in this lineup are here to win,’’ said Bellinger, who lifted a shallow sac fly in a two-run seventh where Judge doubled off the third base bag.

If you’re counting exhibition stats, Judge had a lousy spring, and he slumped all through last April – until he started becoming one of the planet’s hottest hitters again.

Yes, getting off to a good start – lineup-wise – will dull the discussion of how much Soto’s presence is missed.

And for now, there’s not a proven right-handed bat off the bench who can off-set the Yanks’ heavy lefty-hitting lineup.

Carlos Rodon comes through

Less than a month ago, this was Gerrit Cole’s Opening Day start until his elbow barked, and Tommy John surgery was scheduled.

So, Cole trotted out to an ovation with his right arm essentially in a cast, and Rodon pitched into the sixth and picked up a win.

This was even a more diverse Rodon stuff-wise, with Boone marveling that he even broke out a sinker; the one-time fastball-slider lefty had a six-pitch arsenal in his second career Opening Day start.

There was one scare, when Rodon tumbled while covering first base and winced, necessitating a visit from the athletic trainer.

“I thought he was OK,” said Boone. “It was just that he was mad” about giving up an infield hit.