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.
That experience showed during their series against the Chicago White 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.
Wednesday’s 6-3 win moved the Guardians (78-75) one-half game ahead of the White Sox (77-75). Cleveland is off Thursday before starting a three-game series against the Athletics.
“I mean, it feels good. It doesn’t mean anything yet. 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.
Even though Cleveland is just 9-7 this month, it has the majors’ third-best September record since 2016 at 173-116. The Dodgers lead at 177-101, followed by the Yankees (169-110).
The Guardians also hold an AL-best 110-61 September record against divisional opponents since 2016.
Cleveland is off Thursday before hosting the Athletics for three games. That's followed by a six-game trip to Boston and Kansas City to end the regular 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. They were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers on Sept. 4 before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak. The previous biggest margin overcome in September was 8 1/2 games by the 1964 St. Louis 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.
A mix of familiar and new faces has fueled Cleveland’s run this season.
Brayan Rocchio’s two-run double Tuesday night was his fourth walk-off hit in September in four big-league seasons.
Petey Halpin — a late-September call-up last season — hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning Wednesday.
“The younger guys lean on a lot of the veterans, asking questions, asking how they feel and calming us down,” Halpin said. “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. I can do this. Let’s keep going. Let’s keep winning.’”
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.
After facing the Tigers, Chicago ends the season with three games at Kansas City and hosting Colorado for three games.
The White Sox have dropped seven of nine and 12 of 17, but manager Will Venable was trying to keep a tight 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. “So yeah, tough to not have that lead, but at the same time, we got a long way to go here.”
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.
“It’s really difficult right now,” Chicago outfielder Tommy Pham said. “Every game is like a must-win. You have to make the plays, and you have to do the winning thing every day.”
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Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters walks back to the dugout after striking out in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, left, and pitcher Cade Smith (36) celebrate after the Guardians defeated the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game in Cleveland, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, left, center fielder Petey Halpin, center, and right fielder Jo Adell (7) celebrate after the Guardians defeated the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game in Cleveland, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of its economy as lawmakers look to deprive President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine.
The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who spent more than a year negotiating it. The measure was approved in a 262-159 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
The legislation represents the most ambitious effort to support Ukraine since President Donald Trump's return to the White House and would break nearly two years of relative gridlock on the issue following a 2024 emergency aid package. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for the bill's passage and made a direct appeal to senators shortly before they passed it last month.
The measure sanctions Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. It also directs Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.
“These countries have a choice to make about whether they will continue to sustain Putin's aggression,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
Supporters said the provision is aimed at deterring China and India from purchasing Russian energy, but critics of the bill said they fear Trump will use it to target allies in the European Union and elsewhere. Americans, they warned, would pay the price for such tariffs through higher prices at the cash register.
“This president has always said he loves tariffs,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. “And we know the history of what he's done with reference to tariffs to our European allies, and our allies everywhere.”
Democrats were divided on the bill, despite overwhelming support in the caucus for aiding Ukraine. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told colleagues they can't control what the president does, but they can stand up and declare where they are on the war.
“If we fail to pass this bill, there will be cheers in the Kremlin and tears in Kyiv,” Hoyer said.
But Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., predicted Ukraine supporters would come to regret voting for the bill
“Yes they will be able to say ‘we stood with Ukraine’ in the immediate aftermath,” Beyer said. “But when Donald Trump hits our allies with new tariffs and waives sanctions on Russia, the propaganda victory for Putin will be lasting, and the damage will be embedded in U.S. law.”
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, speaking in opposition to the bill, said Democrats would continue to support the Ukrainian people until victory is won, “but this bill does not provide a path to secure that.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., celebrated the vote and highlighted the additional tariff power it provides the president.
“For too long, Putin has bankrolled this devastating war with money and resources from countries willing to look the other way, and today, that ends," Johnson said.
Congress has struggled to ensure the flow of U.S. funding and munitions to Ukraine as Republican support for spending billions of dollars more on the effort has waned. Trump routinely derided the Ukraine aid while campaigning for the White House and insisted that, if elected, he would quickly end the war launched by Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
It took Graham essentially a full year to bring Trump on board with the Russia sanctions package. Eventually, Trump gave a nod to the bill after it included his push for a five-year extension of existing sanctions on Iran. Republicans speaking on the House floor in advance of Wednesday's vote were overwhelmingly supportive of the package.
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., acknowledged Democratic criticism that tariffs could be used aggressively on smaller U.S. allies, but said it was time to deliver a resounding message to the Kremlin: “End this war, get out of Ukraine, focus on rebuilding your shattered international reputation and your destroyed economy."
The Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 last month, but momentum slowed in the House. Republican leadership focused on other priorities, namely bills designed to put Democrats on defense going into the midterms. Meanwhile, a chorus of key Democratic lawmakers voiced alarm about the bill's tariff provisions.
Passage of the bill in the House came on the final day that the chamber is expected to be in session for votes before the Nov. 3 elections.
Leading up to the vote, Zelenskyy took to social media urging the House to pass the bill. He said during war it is sometimes better to “make a not-so-perfect decision than to do nothing.”
“And this is a very important historical moment for the United States. The bill must be passed, voted on, and supported,” Zelenskyy said on X. “Beyond that, strong decisions from the U.S. Administration are important. Personal decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we will see that.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters outside of his office on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner, right, and Steve Witkoff at Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
