Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Joe Reedy The Associated Press
The Cleveland Guardians have taken sole possession of first place in the AL Central by winning two consecutive games against the Chicago White Sox after losing Monday’s opener. As of Wednesday, the Guardians lead with a record of 78-75 compared to the White Sox at 77-75. The Guardians’ late-season experience and ability to perform under pressure have been key factors in their success; they hold the third-best September record since 2016 among all MLB teams.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Stephen Vogt and the Cleveland Guardians have taken sole possession of first place in the AL Central after winning two consecutive games against the Chicago White Sox, edging ahead with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday. The Guardians now stand at 78-75, leading the White Sox by one-half game (77-75) following their series win. Cleveland’s experience under Vogt, who won division titles in 2024 and 2025, has been crucial as they navigate late-season pressure to clinch a postseason spot. The Guardians’ strong September record, at 110-61 against divisional opponents since 2016, positions them well despite their recent 9-7 performance in the month. Cleveland’s next challenge is a three-game series against the Athletics, followed by important games in Boston and Kansas City.
Written for “AL Central Race Update” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Stephen Vogt and the Cleveland Guardians are used to the late-season pressure of trying not only to clinch a postseason spot, but also to win a division title.
asserted
Vogt → try → title
That experience showed during their series against the Chicago White Sox.
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experience → show → Sox
After dropping Monday’s opener, the Guardians rallied to win the last two games and took sole possession of first place in the AL Central for the first time since July 3.
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Guardians → drop → July
Wednesday’s 6-3 win moved the Guardians (78-75) one-half game ahead of the White Sox (77-75).
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win → move → Sox
Cleveland is off Thursday before starting a three-game series against the Athletics.
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Cleveland → start → Athletics
“I mean, it feels good.
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it → mean → ?
It doesn’t mean anything yet.
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It → mean → anything
We’ve got a job to do for nine more games,” said Vogt, the Guardians’ third-year manager who won the division in 2024 and ‘25.
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who → get → 25
Even though Cleveland is just 9-7 this month, it has the majors’ third-best September record since 2016 at 173-116.
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it → have → 173
The Dodgers lead at 177-101, followed by the Yankees (169-110).
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Dodgers → lead → Yankees
The Guardians also hold an AL-best 110-61 September record against divisional opponents since 2016.
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Guardians → hold → 2016
Cleveland is off Thursday before hosting the Athletics for three games.
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Cleveland → host → games
That’s followed by a six-game trip to Boston and Kansas City to end the regular season.
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That → follow → season
The Guardians’ road to a playoff spot this season is a cakewalk compared to last year, when they had the greatest September comeback in baseball history.
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they → compare → history
They were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers on Sept. 4 before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak.
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They → go → streak
The previous biggest margin overcome in September was 8 1/2 games by the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals.
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margin → overcome → Cardinals
“It’s a lot of the same guys with some added help, and I think this team just knows how to win when it really matters,” said Parker Messick, who picked up his 12th win of the season Wednesday after allowing three runs and striking out eight in six innings.
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who → ’ → innings
A mix of familiar and new faces has fueled Cleveland’s run this season.
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mix → fuel → run
Petey Halpin — a late-September call-up last season — hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning Wednesday.
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Halpin → hit → inning
“The younger guys lean on a lot of the veterans, asking questions, asking how they feel and calming us down,” Halpin said.
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Halpin → lean → us
“I’ve looked at guys in the dugout, and you can see them kind of in it, involved, ready, and you feel that, and it gives you the confidence to be like, ‘No, I belong here.
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I → look → confidence
I can do this.
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I → do → this
Let’s keep going.
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’s → let → ?
Let’s keep winning.’
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’s → let → ?
The White Sox — looking to become the first team in major league history to make the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons — can move back into a tie atop the division with a win over Detroit Thursday night to start a four-game series.
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Sox → look → series
After facing the Tigers, Chicago ends the season with three games at Kansas City and hosting Colorado for three games.
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Chicago → face → games
The White Sox have dropped seven of nine and 12 of 17, but manager Will Venable was trying to keep a tight focus.
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Venable → drop → focus
“Regardless of how this series went, we knew that this wasn’t going to define how the end of this year goes for us,” he said.
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he → go → us
“So yeah, tough to not have that lead, but at the same time, we got a long way to go here.”
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we → have → way
Even though they aren’t leading the division, the White Sox have a 1 1/2 game lead over Texas and Toronto for the last AL wild-card spot.
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Sox → lead → spot
“It’s really difficult right now,” Chicago outfielder Tommy Pham said.
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Pham → ’ → ?
You have to make the plays, and you have to do the winning thing every day.”
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you → have → thing
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