For 11 innings, Tuesday night looked — and almost felt — like a playoff game in The Bronx in a meeting of the teams with the two best records in the American League.
But the Yankees bullpen, which had pitched eight scoreless innings, finally fell apart in the 12th, as Cleveland scored six runs to win, 9-5.
The Yankees, though, will regret the baserunning and fielding miscues, not to mention the lack of timely hitting, even more after the 4:05 marathon, as Cleveland regained the top spot in the AL.
Tim Mayza faltered in the 12th, as the lefty allowed a go-ahead RBI pinch-hit double to Lane Thomas to start the inning.
Jose Ramirez added a run-scoring hit off Michael Tonkin later in the inning and Cleveland began to pour it on.
There were plenty of wasted chances by the offense, which went hitless in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position until Aaron Judge’s two-run double in the 12th.
They also had Trent Grisham — pinch running for Giancarlo Stanton — thrown out at home on Austin Wells’ pinch-hit double in the eighth that would have given the Yankees the lead.
Grisham hesitated at third before racing home and didn’t get there in time.
Both bullpens thrived for much of the night — especially the Yankees’ pen, which was forced into action when Luis Gil left the game in the fourth with lower back tightness.
Before he was removed, Gil was in the midst of a second straight subpar outing and allowed three runs in three-plus innings — mostly done in by six walks.
He allowed a run and three baserunners in both the second and third innings.
Then in the fourth, Gil gave up a go-ahead homer to Brayan Rocchio, walked Steven Kwan — his sixth of the night — and was removed after throwing one pitch to Jose Ramirez.
Tim Hill entered and retired the next three batters to keep it a one-run game.
The lefty also pitched a scoreless fifth before giving way to Mark Leiter Jr.
Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes also tossed scoreless innings.
It looked early like the Yankees were going to knock around Cleveland left-hander Matthew Boyd, as Juan Soto and Judge gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Soto got it started with a solo shot to right with one out and Judge followed by hitting one out to right-center.
It was the fifth time this season the pair has gone back-to-back.
Cleveland came back in the second, sparked by a leadoff double by Jhonkensy Noel and a walk to Andres Gimenez.
After Daniel Schneemann grounded into a forceout that sent Noel to third, Bo Naylor followed with a grounder to first base.
DJ LeMahieu hesitated before firing to Jose Trevino at the plate.
Noel was initially called out on the play, but Cleveland challenged the play and it was overturned to cut the Yankee lead to 2-1.
The Guardians loaded the bases with two outs for Jose Ramirez and Gil responded by striking out the third baseman for the second time in as many innings.
But Cleveland tied the game in the third.
Gil retired the first two batters before walks to Noel and Gimenez brought up Schneemann, whose single to right drove in Noel.
The Guardians took the lead in the fourth when Rocchio opened the inning with a home run into the Yankees bullpen in right-center.
The Yankees tied it again in the bottom of the inning on an Anthony Volpe RBI double that knocked in Trevino from first.
Volpe stole third, but LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza whiffed with the infield in and Gleyber Torres grounded out.
The bullpens matched zeroes through the sixth.
Oswaldo Cabrera pinch-hit for Oswald Peraza to lead off the bottom of the seventh and was robbed of a potential extra-base hit by a diving Schneeman in left-center.
