Did Yankees’ Aaron Boone cover for Aaron Judge’s mistake?

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was thrown out trying to steal second base at a crucial point in a 6-5 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field on Friday.

CLEVELAND — Was Aaron Boone covering for Aaron Judge?

Or was Judge covering for Boone?

Either way, Judge getting thrown out at second base down two runs with Giancarlo Stanton on deck hung over the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field on Friday night.

Judge tried stealing second base with one out and the count full to Aaron Hicks with reliever Neil Ramirez on the mound. The score was 6-4 Indians.

But Hicks struck out and catcher Yan Gomes threw a bullet to second base. Shortstop Francisco Lindor applied a perfect tag. Judge was out by a split-second — umpires initially called him safe but a replay review overturned the call.

Imagine Yankees lineup with Machado!

In the ninth, Stanton crushed a home run to cut the Yankees’ deficit to one … with nobody on base. 

It would stay that way and the Yankees lost.

In his postgame talk with reporters, Boone made it sound like it was his decision.

“It was a close call for me but I was also betting on if Ramirez came into the zone we would put the ball in play,” Boone said. “Anything out of the zone and coupled with him being slow to the plate, I figured we’d have the bag and have another guy in scoring position there. But obviously it didn’t work out.”

Boone was asked if Hicks’ ability to command the strike zone was the prevailing factor in sending Judge, who’s a good runner for someone 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, but also not quite fleet of foot.

“That’s part of it,” Boone said. “It’s a 3-2 count so you’re betting on, he’s going to take a ball or even if he swings at a pitch out of the zone, and the slow time to home plate, felt like the right combination. Didn’t work out.”

But, later, Judge sort of made it sound like it might have been his call.

“It’s tough,” he said, “but those are the gambles. You’ve got to take those gambles. Took a risk and I was out.”

Boone said he wondered if it was the right call — regardless of who made it.

“You second guess it a little bit,” he said, “but I look at the matchup: Slow to the plate, you’re betting on a pitch in the zone being put in play there but definitely something that I second-guessed a little bit.”

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.