The hyped Gerrit Cole-Alek Manoah showdown Saturday at Yankee Stadium began a touch later than expected, perhaps because a mind game started before the game did.

Before Cole could deliver the first pitch of what became a 3-2 Yankees win over the Blue Jays, the Yankees ace had to step off the mound to wait for Toronto players — including Manoah and catcher Alejandro Kirk, who were at the back of the pack — to make their way from the bullpen to the visiting dugout.

Cole crouched behind the mound for several moments as leadoff batter George Springer stepped out of the batters’ box, allowing time for the Blue Jays’ contingent to get off the field.

Later asked about the slight delay, Cole quickly responded, “Didn’t notice.”

Cole several times sidestepped what appears to be a growing rivalry with Manoah.

“I get all my motivation from inside this clubhouse,” Cole said, asked if he was any more fired up to pitch against Manoah.

On Opening Day 2022, Cole did not take well to an unexpected delay during pregame ceremonies.

This time, Cole showed no outward signs of anger amid a rivalry that has thus far been mostly one-sided.

Manoah has jabbed at Cole, whom he labeled the “worst cheater” in baseball history this offseason, a sticky-substance claim the Toronto right-hander stood behind this weekend.

“I said what I said,” Manoah said Friday, offering no hints of regrets, but adding he has never really talked with Cole.

After Manoah drilled Aaron Judge with a sinker last August, it was Cole leading the Yankees who spilled out of the dugout to scream at the pitcher in defense of their MVP slugger.

In the aftermath last summer, Manoah challenged Cole through the media and dared him to get closer the next time he had a problem.

The theatrics of the background established, the foreground Saturday became about the game — and an excellent one.

The Blue Jays could not generate a big hit against Cole (5 ²/₃ innings, four hits, two walks, no runs), and the Yankees could barely generate any hit against Manoah (seven innings, two hits, one walk, no runs).

The Yankees’ best threat came in the third inning, when Oswaldo Cabrera (double, steal) and Oswald Peraza (walk, steal) reached scoring position with one out. But Manoah struck out Anthony Volpe and got Judge to meekly ground out, walking off the mound with a shout.

Cole’s biggest trouble arrived in the first inning, when Springer singled and Vladimir Guererro Jr. doubled with one out. Cole struck out Matt Chapman with a nasty slider and needed three pitches to sit down Daulton Varsho.

Cole and Manoah brought their best stuff, though Manoah’s jab game is stronger.

“As a competitor, you want to go against the best,” Cole, who lowered his ERA to 0.79, said about Manoah.

The Yankees are 21 games into the season and five games into a stretch of 16 games in 16 days.

Thus far, Judge has played in each of those contests, but manager Aaron Boone is looking for a day off for the slugger.

Boone, who is playing Judge often in the more taxing center field position with Harrison Bader (left oblique strain) on the injured list, said Judge would be DH a couple of times on the upcoming road trip, particularly at Texas because “we won’t want him on the turf every day.”

Judge is the only Yankee to have started every game.

“Pick my spot here [for a day off] probably at some point in this stretch of 16,” Boone said. “It’s something that we’re paying attention to.”

Peraza, who had never played third base professionally before Friday, was back at the spot Saturday for a second game in a row and again performed well. He looked solid defensively and went 1-for-2 with a walk.

A middle infielder who is finding time at the hot corner with Josh Donaldson hurt and Boone not wanting DJ LeMahieu at third every game, Peraza has looked natural at the spot through two games.

Boone said without Donaldson, LeMahieu still will get the majority of third-base starts.

Jose Trevino threw out Springer on an attempted steal when he over-slid second base in the fifth inning.

It was the first caught-stealing this season for a Yankees catcher and Trevino’s first in 12 tries.

After beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday, Bader was back at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Bader is not yet playing back-to-back games.

“Seeing Harrison this morning, he’s like, ‘I could play today,’” Boone said of the center fielder, who went 1-for-3 with a double in five innings Friday and will need about 10-14 days before he is ready for the majors. “I think it went well [Friday] night. Five innings, had a good amount of action in the outfield, said he felt good.”