On a day when the Yankees were slated to play (at least) 18 innings, they got it started with a slog of the first nine.

Between the soggy conditions and a grind of an outing for Luis Gil, it was not always pretty and certainly not efficient.

But the Yankees made it work in the first game of a doubleheader thanks to a hot-hitting top of their lineup that led the way to a 5-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday in The Bronx.

Yankees pitcher Luis Gil throws to the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning.JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

In conditions that felt more like April than August, Alex Verdugo, Aaron Judge and Austin Wells each chipped in two hits and an RBI as the Yankees (68-46) won for the eighth time in their past nine games.

Gil needed a career-high 107 pitches to make it through five innings, but he kept the Angels off the scoreboard by stranding seven runners on base.

The rookie right-hander, struggling with his grip in the rain, walked five batters but allowed just two hits and struck out six, making timely pitches when he had to.

“You understand you find yourself in a big-time competition and knowing we have a second game coming,” Gil said through an interpreter between games. “So for me it was important to give the best I have and take the game as long as I could out there.”

Yankees catcher Austin Wells connects on a RBI single against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning.JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

Nearly eight weeks after last having the best record in MLB (at 50-22), the Yankees reclaimed that title with their Game 1 win.

They did so on the back of an offense that has continued to produce, scoring at least four runs in a season-high 10 straight games (their longest streak since 2019) and recording at least nine hits a season-high 10 straight games (their longest streak since 2008).

While Judge (2-for-3, two walks) has been a constant, he has gotten help lately from the rest of the lineup. In Game 1, that included Verdugo (2-for-5, two doubles) out of the leadoff spot and Wells (2-for-4, walk) out of the cleanup spot.

Verdugo, before batting cleanup in the nightcap, was batting .286 with a .780 OPS over his previous 12 games.

Wells, on the bench to start Game 2, had reached base multiple times in 10 of his past 12 starts, batting .380 with a 1.030 OPS during that stretch.

“[Wells is] just looking like a real hitter, real middle-of-the-order hitter,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think this is what he is, and it just took him a minute to get it. And now he’s getting regular, everyday at-bats — that probably has helped a little bit.”

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws on the rain soaked field before Game 1 against the Los Angeles Angels.JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

Aaron Judge hits a single in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Gil’s outing started with a 30-pitch first inning and a 25-pitch second, but in between, the Yankees gave him a lead to work with.

Verdugo led off the home first with a double against right-hander Davis Daniel, and one out later Judge drew a full-count walk.

Though the walk was not (fully) intentional, Wells made Daniel pay when he went the other way for a single that put the Yankees up 1-0.

“If I was them, I’d be walking Judge, too,” Wells said. “I’m not taking it personal, but I look forward to the challenge. Having a guy on base and getting a hit with Judgey on base, I’ll take that every time.”

Then with two outs, Anthony Volpe extended his hit streak to 10 games by roping a double to left field to make it a 2-0.

Oswaldo Cabrera, whom Boone said before the doubleheader had “earned some opportunities,” crushed a solo home run in the third inning to extend the lead to 3-0.

After going 1-for-3 with a walk Wednesday, the utility man is now batting .302 with a .819 OPS over his past 18 games.

An RBI double from Verdugo and RBI single from Judge in the fourth made it 5-0 before Gil finished off his outing with his sharpest frame in the fifth.

Alex Verdugo celebrates a double in the first inning at Yankee Stadium.Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

“It was big for him to finish the way he did when it wasn’t easy,” Boone said. “Look up at the end and it was five shutout on a day it was a bit of a grind for him.”