The Battle for Ohio

This weekend kicks off the first interleague games of the year in major league baseball, and as every year since 1997, the Reds and the Indians will face off head to head in what is commonly known as "the battle for Ohio", or "the buckeye series". This year, the teams will play six games, three in Cincinnati and three in Cleveland as they have since 1999. This also marks the second year that the in-state rivals will play for the Ohio Cup, a trophy given to the winner of the series. As they did last year, the teams will begin with a three game set in Cincinnati.

The Indians lead the all-time series 30-27, but lost 5 of 6 to the Reds in 2008. The Reds are 77 and 95 all time in interleague play while the Indians are 108 and 103. Although the National League used to dominate, the American League has had the upper hand winning each of the previous five years and taking the all-time interleague lead 1,536 to 1,420. The New York Yankees and the Oakland A's are tied for the lead in all-time interleague wins with 123 a piece.

Starting in 1989, the teams played an exhibition game in Cooper Stadium dubbed as The Ohio Cup, but stopped in 1997 when interleague play began. The teams have never met in the world series, and until 1989, they had never even qualified for the playoffs in the same year.

So far this season, the Redlegs have compiled a 21-19 record while the Indians are a meager 16-26 though the first 42 games. The pitching matchup for the series is as follows:

Friday: Reyes (1-1) vs Arroyo (5-3), Saturday: Huff (0-1) vs Cueto (4-2), Sunday: Lee (2-5) vs Bailey (0-0)

Regardless of Records, this series is sure to pack a lot of excitement, and draw in many fans. Enjoy!

-T17M