NEW YORK -- The Guardians and Yankees are built completely differently, but they have a lot in common. Both entered Tuesday’s series opener in first place and with nearly identical records. Both have excellent pitching to fall back on when things get tough. So it was little surprising when the two teams spent the night evenly matched, deadlocked in the kind of game fitting of the unseasonable chill in the Bronx air.

Two sensational defensive plays helped keep the game tight and the Guardians’ bullpen logged 5 2/3 scoreless innings to keep it tied before Lane Thomas’ pinch-hit go-ahead double helped open the floodgates and send Cleveland to a 9-5 win over the Yankees in 12 innings at Yankee Stadium.

Five relievers held the line behind Matthew Boyd after Brayan Rocchio’s homer in the fourth, and it wasn’t until eight innings later that Cleveland pulled ahead on Thomas’ biggest hit since arriving in a deal at the Trade Deadline.

“Unbelievable game by both teams,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “One team had to outlast the other, and fortunately it was us.”

The Guardians arrived in New York having watched their lead atop the American League Central shrink to 2 1/2 games after they were swept over the weekend in Milwaukee, their offense managing only four runs in those three losses. Thomas was acquired from the Nationals at the Deadline to augment that lineup. But his first few weeks in Cleveland hadn’t been easy, with Thomas hitting just .113 without an RBI and 23 strikeouts over his first 53 at-bats with the club.

That’s all in the past now. Thomas came off the bench cold in the 12th and lined a two-out sinker from Tim Mayza to the right-field wall, scoring automatic runner Daniel Schneemann from second with the go-ahead run. The Guardians scored five more times in the 12th to make what was a grueling game of attrition look like a 4-hour, 5-minute romp.

“I don’t want to take all the credit, but I was sitting there and said he would hit a double down the right-field line, and he did,” designated hitter David Fry said. “So, I will take all the credit. Really cool to see. We were all thinking he was going to do it. We just needed one to loosen everybody up and get the rest of the big hits.”

Said Vogt: "I think it’s huge for him. It was a huge hit for us. It was something that we needed. For him to come through, I know it’ll be big for him and he catapulted that inning.”

Before Thomas’ heroics, Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, Emmanuel Clase (2 IP) and Tim Herrin held the Yankees to one hit over five frames, with Clase navigating the ninth and 10th against the heart of New York’s order. The ‘pen was aided by airtight defense behind it, including two important outfield plays by Schneemann and one sensational relay. The game could’ve been over a lot earlier had Cleveland not executed one of the most precise full-field relays you’ll ever see to cut down the potential go-ahead run at home in the eighth.

After walking Giancarlo Stanton to begin the eighth, Smith struck out Alex Verdugo before Austin Wells clanged a pinch-hit double off the top of the center-field wall. Schneemann was inches away from another spectacular grab but came up empty, giving pinch-runner Trent Grisham a chance to score the go-ahead run from first.

But left fielder Steven Kwan was trailing and played the ricochet perfectly off the wall, firing an accurate cutoff throw to Rocchio at shortstop. Rocchio then delivered a strong one-hop throw to the plate that pulled Bo Naylor slightly up the first-base line. Naylor reached back and beat Grisham to the plate to complete the roughly 400-foot relay and keep the game tied.

“That felt like a playoff game,” Rocchio said.

The Guardians came out ahead despite leaving 20 runners on base, the most in a game in MLB since … the Guardians also left 20 on base on Sept. 17, 2022, in a 15-inning game against the Twins. Cleveland won that game as well.

“For our guys having traffic all night, it is a good sign for us to get a few big hits in the -- what was it? The 12th inning?” Vogt said. “I can’t keep track. That was huge.”

Asked if a game like that is fun or agonizing, Vogt said: “Yes. All of the above.”