Yankees captain Aaron Judge left Tuesday night’s game one inning after in the left hand with a 94-mph fastball by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Albert Suárez.AP

NEW YORK — First there were sounds of groans at Yankee Stadium, then boos and then the big crowd became quiet with time seemingly standing still.

In an instant Tuesday night, it didn’t matter that the Yankees were on their way to a 4-2 win in the first of three American League East showdowns this week because Orioles pitcher Albert Suarez’s 94-mph four-seamer to Aaron Judge ran up and then banged off the captain’s left hand.

An inning later, Judge left the game with no update on his condition and the Yankees surely fearing their season may be taking a humungous turn for the worse.

The Yankees’ only update on Judge was that he was sent to New York–Presbyterian for imaging and he’d be examined there by team physician. Dr. Christopher Ahmad.

His teammates were frustrated and angry with Suarez, some yelling swear words at the pitcher.

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Angry and in pain after getting hit, Judge grabbed his left hand, then spun in a circle. Judge seemed to be deciding whether he should take his base or charge the mound. He started walking in the direction of second base – between Saurez and first – before making a right turn and heading to the bag.

Judge opted to stay in the game, then raced around third on a Alex Verdugo’s hit and scored on another by Giancarlo Stanton.

Keeping with custom after the Yankees score a run, Judge made a celebratory walk from one end of the dugout to the other, then he headed straight to the clubhouse, presumably for X-rays.

A few long minutes later, Judge reappeared in the dugout and headed out to center field for the fourth inning.

Judge seemingly was OK.

And then he wasn’t. When it was Judge’s turn to hit in the bottom of the fourth, Trent Grisham was sent to the plate.

Yankees injuries were the theme of the day.

After Judge departed, Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres also was hit in the left hand by Orioles lefty reliever Keegan Akin, but he finished out a game that was 4-0 until the ninth when Anthony Santander hit a two-run homer off Clay Holmes.

Ben Rice was called up from Triple-A for the first time and started at first base with Anthony Rizzo out a couple months after breaking his hand on a play at first base in the Yankees’ loss in Boston on Sunday night.

Before Tuesday’s game, the Yankees placed two pitchers on the 15-day injured list: starter Cody Poteet (right triceps strain) and reliever Ian Hamilton (right lat strain). Lefty relievers Anthony Misiewicz and Clayton Andrews were called up from Triple-A to fill the roster spots.

The game featured a first career hit for Rice in his second at-bat, a line single to right in the third when the Yankees scored twice to made it. 3-0 game. The Yankees also got an excellent start from left-hander Nestor Cortes, who scattered five hits pitching six shutout innings with six strikeouts and no walks.

This was a nice start of the second series of the season with the Orioles, who took three of four at home in late April/early May, but Judge’s injury was the only really important part of the night

After a bad April, Judge has been scorching at the plate for 2 ½ months and leads the league in homers, RBI, walks and OPS. He’s been as good so far as he was in 2022, his 62-homer and AL MVP season.

The Yankees learned the hard way last season how good they are without Judge (not very). He played only 106 games due to two extended IL stints in the team’s 82-80, no-playoffs campaign. They were 25-31 without their captain.

NOTABLE

— Batting sixth and playing first base, Rice was 1-for-4 in his debut before leaving after seven innings. The left-handed hitter is expected to start against righties during Rizzo’s absence.

— A natural catcher, Rice isn’t a great defender at first. That’s why the Yankees improved their defense for the last two innings by moving DJ LeMahieu from third to first and inserting Oswaldo Cabrera to third.

— Bench coach Brad Ausmus managed the game with Aaron Boone attending his son’s high school graduation.

— Fans cheered in the ninth when Holmes threw and up-and-in pitch that almost hit Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo.

— Starting pitcher J.T. Brubaker (Tommy John surgery) and reliever Scott Effross (Tommy John & back surgeries) will make a first rehab outing Wednesday with Low-A Tampa.

–Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg led off the game with a strikeout, played the field in the bottom of the first and then was replaced before the top of the second by Ramon Urias due to right hip discomfort.

–Misiewicz or Andrews will be returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday when Gerrit Cole is activated from the IL to start the middle game of the series.

–Rizzo was placed on the 10-day IL with a right forearm fracture that will keep him from doing any baseball activities for four-to-five weeks.

Wednesday: Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., Amazon & MLB Network. LHP Cade Povich (0-1, 4.76) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (season debut).

Thursday: Orioles at Yankees, 4:05 p.m., YES & MLB Network. LHP Cole Irvin (6-3, 3.03) vs. RHP Luis Gil (9-1, 2.03).