NEW YORK -- It was the longest game in terms of time played in the Majors this season, and as Juan Soto reflected upon the 12 innings he¡¯d just experienced, the Yankees star believed that it might have been one of his team¡¯s most frustrating.

Soto and Aaron Judge opened the night in promising fashion, belting back-to-back homers for the fifth time this season, but the Yankees failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities before the floodgates opened late in a 9-5, 12-inning loss to the Guardians on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

¡°It¡¯s more tough to get the loss,¡± Soto said. ¡°We had the opportunities right there to win the game and couldn¡¯t come through as a team. I think that¡¯s what can drain you a little bit more.¡±

The Yanks finished the evening 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on in a sloppy contest that required them to squeeze 27 outs from their bullpen after rookie Luis Gil exited early with lower back tightness.

¡°Especially when you¡¯re not driving in a ton of runs or killing the ball, you¡¯ve got to do everything perfect,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°When you¡¯re in a tight game like that, you¡¯ve got to pull those things out.¡±

Lane Thomas snapped the tie with a pinch-hit, run-scoring double off Tim Mayza in the 12th, keying a six-run frame highlighted by David Fry¡¯s three-run triple off Michael Tonkin, which sent a crowd of 41,426 streaming for the exits.

Judge drove in a couple of runs in the home half, giving him a Major League-leading 114 RBIs, but the deficit was too large to make up in a game that lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes.

Considering how the evening began, the Yankees¡¯ eighth extra-inning loss of the year (in 12 tries) seemed difficult to fathom.

After third baseman Oswald Peraza made a dazzling play to snare an inning-ending foul pop, Soto and Judge secured a piece of franchise history with back-to-back homers off left-hander Matthew Boyd.

Soto lifted a drive into the short right-field porch for his 35th home run of the season, tying his career high. Five pitches later, Judge belted his Major League-leading 45th home run -- his 17th first-inning homer this year, eclipsing Babe Ruth¡¯s franchise record of 16, set in 1927.

With five occurrences of consecutive homers this season, the powerful duo stands just one shy of a franchise record set in 2009, when Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira belted back-to-back blasts on six occasions.

Anthony Volpe showed signs of breaking out of his offensive doldrums with two hits, including a game-tying double in the fourth. The Yanks made a bid to grab the lead in the eighth, as Wells banged a pinch-hit double off the center-field wall, missing a homer by inches.

Taking off from first base as a pinch-runner for Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham hesitated near second, waiting to see if Daniel Schneemann could make the play. Grisham then advanced, with third-base coach Luis Rojas briefly flashing a stop sign before sending Grisham, who was cut down at home plate.

¡°Coming around third, I wasn¡¯t sure if he was sending me,¡± Grisham said. ¡°I thought he was holding me up. Then I saw the arm late and got a little hesitation around third.¡±

With Gil out early -- having allowed three runs on three hits and six walks in three-plus innings before being examined by a team orthopedist who recommended re-evaluations on Wednesday -- five Yankees relievers combined for six scoreless frames through the end of regulation.

That group included closer Clay Holmes, who bounced back from his Major League-leading 10th blown save two days prior in the Little League Classic against the Tigers in Williamsport, Pa., striking out the side around a walk.

¡°A lot of good things from those guys; good to see them throw the ball the way that they did,¡± Boone said.

Jake Cousins was sharp, inducing a bases-loaded double play that kept the game tied in the 10th, then pinning two men aboard in the 11th. But New York couldn¡¯t capitalize in the 10th, as Grisham fouled out and Alex Verdugo grounded out against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase.

In the 11th, DJ LeMahieu heard boos after a strikeout that wrapped an 0-for-5 performance that also included questionable glove work, then Oswaldo Cabrera flied out to leave two men on. LeMahieu is hitting .189 with a .512 OPS in 62 games.

¡°It¡¯s been rough, no question about it,¡± Boone said. ¡°He has had moments where he¡¯s gotten it going a little bit, but it¡¯s been tough. I know he¡¯s working his tail off to get it right and be a contributor. At this point, we¡¯ve got to just keep grinding with him.¡±