Cole-Higgy battery ready for playoffs, too

Aaron Boone isn’t wild about pitchers having personal catchers, but the Yankees manager can be flexible when the battery clicks.

Barring a change of mind or an injury, backup catcher Kyle Higashioka will catch Gerrit Cole in the first game of the postseason Tuesday.

“I don’t necessarily love it, but that said, I don’t mind it,” Boone said prior to Tuesday night’s 12-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, where Cole made his fourth straight start with Higashioka behind the plate.

Entering Tuesday, things couldn’t have been rolling any better with Cole throwing to Higashioka instead of regular catcher Gary Sanchez. And that continued with Cole allowing one run in seven innings.

In four games throwing to Higashioka, Cole is 3-1 with a 1.00 ERA. In eight games with Sanchez, Cole is 4-2 with a 3.91 ERA.

Asked what he thought about catching Cole in the postseason, Higashioka said he is ready for anything.

“I am going to be ready regardless. That is my job as a catcher on this team. You have to be ready when called upon to play,’’ he said. “I will be ready and glad to catch him if that is the game plan we go with.”

Boone said he believes Sanchez won’t stew over not working with the staff ace and added he has seen improvement at the plate. Sanchez took a seat Tuesday hitting .147 (21for-143) with 10 homers, 24 RBIs and a .632 OPS.

“In the month of September, we have seen him start to gain a little bit of traction,’’ Boone said.

In six games from Sept. 15-21, Sanchez hit .240 (6-for-25) with three homers, nine RBIs and a .949 OPS.

➤ After being elevated to the major leagues in the afternoon, reliever Tyler

Lyons was called into Tuesday night’s win to start the bottom of the eighth inning. The umpires, however, removed him before he could throw a pitch because his name wasn’t on the lineup card the umpires were working off — although Boone said Lyons’ name was on his card.

“In these new rules we don’t exchange at home plate. … On my card he is on there,’’ Boone said. “So we will make sure we are airtight moving forward.’’

With a nine-run lead, Boone summoned Zack Britton for the eighth and Adam Ottavino got the final three outs with an 11-run advantage.

➤ Giancarlo Stanton didn’t play after starting in two straight games, three of four and four of five.

“Just a day [off] in the middle of the series. He is good and bouncing back fine,’’ Boone said of his DH, who is 6-for-21 (.286) with a homer, three RBIs and a .919 OPS in five games since coming off the injured list on Sept. 15.