The Ohio Cup, also known as the Battle of Ohio and the Buckeye Series, is an annual interleague rivalry series between the two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams from the U.S. state of Ohio: the Cincinnati Reds of the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians) of the American League (AL). The series name comes from the trophy for which the teams play. The trophy was first introduced in 1989 for an annual pre-season exhibition game between the two teams, and later reintroduced in 2008. The cup is awarded to the team that wins the most games against the other in a particular season. In the event of a tie, the team holding the trophy from the previous season retains it. The Guardians currently hold the trophy by virtue of winning the 2026 season series.
Prior to the introduction of interleague play, the current Cincinnati and Cleveland franchises had only met in spring training or other exhibition games. Because the two teams play in opposite leagues, the only chance to meet at that time was in the World Series. The Ohio Cup series was created in 1989 and was an exhibition game between the two teams played in the state capital of Columbus at Cooper Stadium just prior to the start of the season. A total of eight Ohio Cup games were played, from 1989 to 1996, with the Indians winning six. The games in Columbus were typically well-attended, with attendance topping the stadium's 15,000-seat capacity in all games except one.
The regular-season series began in 1997 with the start of interleague play and has been played every season since except 2002. The teams have typically played either four or six games per season, with two or three in each ballpark. Since 2025, this has been fixed at six meetings per year. The Guardians lead the regular-season series 81–66 through the 2026 season.
History Cincinnati and Cleveland both have long histories in professional baseball and the current Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians franchises are among the oldest in Major League Baseball. The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, founded in 1869, were the first professional baseball team, and they were soon followed by other professional teams, including one in Cleveland known as Forest City, founded that same year. The two teams played in Cleveland on July 2, 1869, a 25–6 win for the Red Stockings. The two cities competed directly again during the 1879 season as members of the National League. An earlier Reds franchise, a charter member of the NL, met the Cleveland Blues twelve times that year, with the Reds winning eight games and the Blues winning four. After that season, the Reds disbanded while the Blues continued until 1884.
The two cities resumed competition with each other in the latter years of the American Association after the current Cincinnati Reds franchise was founded in 1882 as a charter member of the AA, and the Cleveland Spiders, first known as the Blues or Forest Citys, formed in 1887. The first American Association meeting between Cleveland and Cincinnati was played at League Park in Cincinnati, a 16–6 win for the Red Stockings. During their two seasons together in the AA, Cincinnati won 21 games with Cleveland taking 13.
The teams met again two years later, as members of the National League, after Cleveland joined the NL in 1889 and Cincinnati in 1890. The game was played at National League Park in Cleveland, a 3–2 Spiders win. The following season, the Spiders hosted the Reds in the very first game played at League Park in Cleveland, won by the Spiders 12–3 behind winning pitcher Cy Young. The series continued until 1899, when the Spiders were one of four teams contracted by the NL at the end of the season. Over the 10 seasons both were part of the National League, the Reds and Spiders played 138 times, with Cincinnati winning 75, Cleveland 60, and three ties.
Modern era The Spiders were replaced in Cleveland by a minor league team called the Lake Shores in the American League for the 1900 season. The AL declared itself a major league for the 1901 season with the Cleveland franchise, then called the Blues, as a charter member. The team was later called the Bronchos and Naps before being named the Indians in 1915 and Guardians in 2022. Because the two teams are part of different leagues, however, the only chance for them to meet prior to the introduction of Interleague Play in 1997 was in exhibition games or in the World Series. The Indians and Reds came close to meeting on three occasions, first when Cincinnati won the tainted 1919 World Series with Cleveland games back of the Chicago White Sox in the AL. The following season, the Indians won the World Series while the Reds finished games back of the Brooklyn Robins and third in the NL. In 1940, the Reds again won the World Series while the Indians finished one game back of the Detroit Tigers in the American League.
Through 2025, the teams have made the playoffs in the same season four times. The first time was in when both teams won their respective divisions and advanced to their respective League Championship Series. The Reds lost the National League Championship Series to the Atlanta Braves to prevent an all-Ohio World Series. The Indians defeated the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series, but lost to the Braves in the World Series.
In both the Indians and Reds qualified as wild-card teams, but Cleveland lost the AL Wild Card Game to the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati lost the NL Wild Card Game to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams qualified as wild card entries in the expanded playoffs, but each lost in the first round: Cleveland to the New York Yankees, Cincinnati to Atlanta. In 2025, both teams made the playoffs. Cleveland won the American League Central Division and the Cincinnati came fourteen games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division but qualified as the NL's third wild card team. However, the Guardians lost their AL Wild Card Series to Detroit, while the Reds lost their NL Wild Card Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohio Championship Series In July 1910, the Cincinnati manager challenged the Cleveland Naps to a seven-game "Championship of Ohio" series, which was held after the conclusion of the regular season. The Reds won the opener in Cincinnati, 14–7, and ultimately won the series 4–3, with the home team winning all seven games. After the 1911 season, the series was held again, with the Reds winning 4–2. The opener of the 1911 series, however, only drew 580 fans in Cincinnati, and while the remaining games, all played at League Park in Cleveland, drew better, the series was discontinued.Krsolovic & Fritz, pp. 45–46
First Ohio Cup No.YearDateWinnerVenueAttendance1 April 2 Indians 1–0 Cooper Stadium 15,9782 April 8 Indians 12–3 Cooper Stadium 15,8783 April 7 Indians 4–3 Cooper Stadium 16,2764 April 5 Reds 2–0 Cooper Stadium 15,8205 April 3 Indians 9–1 Cooper Stadium 15,5966 April 1 Indians 8–4 Cooper Stadium 15,8947 March 31 Reds 6–1 Cooper Stadium 2,0008 March 31 Indians 5–3 Cooper Stadium 16,697 Details of the original Ohio Cup were unveiled at a press conference on August 25, 1988. At that time, the two teams occasionally played each other in spring training and had yet to make the post-season in the same season. The managers of both teams did not treat the cup game as anything more than an exhibition, but many fans in Columbus treated it like a referendum on major league sports in the city as, at that time, Columbus did not have any major sports franchises.Chronicle-Telegram. Sunday, April 2, 1989
Sitting between Cleveland and Cincinnati, the city was always divided when it came to allegiance to the state's big league teams. "Half the fans (in Columbus) love the Reds and hate the Indians and the other half love the Indians and hate the Reds. It's a great matchup", said the game's promoter, Keith Sprunk. Indians manager Doc Edwards agreed. "I'll love to play it, it's great. San Francisco and Oakland do the same thing. I'd like to see (the Ohio Cup) become an annual thing, either during the spring or in the summer." Crowds averaged 15,910 fans for the first five Ohio Cups at the 15,000-seat Cooper Stadium. Those crowds ranked 3rd, 4th, 7th, 9th and 12th among all-time largest baseball crowds at the stadium. Only about 2000 made it out in 1995 with temperatures near freezing and replacement players taking the field.
The first Ohio Cup match-up was marred by temperatures made colder by constant rain and brisk wind. Cleveland started only four regulars while Cincinnati opted to play seven of their nine starters. It remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning when a throwing error by Reds outfielder Herm Winningham allowed Luis Aguayo to score the only run. Minor league pitcher Greg McMichael received the win while Reds' reliever Mike Griffin was credited with the loss.
In the contest, catchers Sandy Alomar Jr. and Joel Skinner combined for six RBI as the Indians won their second straight Ohio Cup before a standing-room only crowd. In an action-packed game, the Indians banged out 13 hits, including six in the fourth inning which resulted in seven-runs. Cory Snyder hit a monster blast off Danny Jackson that traveled well past the 400-foot sign in straightaway center field. Alomar homered twice, the first a three-run shot to left-center, the second a solo effort. Skinner hit a two-run shot after being brought in to replace Alomar.
Indians outfielder Albert Belle hit his eleventh home run of the exhibition season as the Indians beat the defending World Series Champion Reds 4–3 in . Jerry Browne hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to lift the Indians to victory. The Reds finally ended their rivals' supremacy in . Cincinnati took the lead in the first. Lead off hitter Bip Roberts doubled and later scored. They added another run in the fourth. Reds' third baseman Chris Sabo counted an RBI double among his two hits while Albert Belle hit two of his team's four hits.
Mike Bielecki stopped Cincinnati on one run and four hits in six innings and Albert Belle had a three-run single as the Tribe won their fourth Ohio Cup in five years in the contest. Highlights included a home run by Indians' first baseman Paul Sorrento. The only Reds run was scored by Barry Larkin.
In , Manny Ramírez and Paul Sorrento homered in a five-run second inning to help give the Indians an 8–4 win. Mark Clark pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and three runs, walking one and striking out five to gain the win. Albert Belle and Eddie Murray led off the second inning with singles and Sorrento followed with his homer. After Jim Thome singled, Ramírez homered. All five runs came off Tom Browning.
With the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike only coming to an end on April 2, replacement players traveled to Columbus to take part in the edition. Teamsters picketed outside the stadium as snow fell. With temperatures near freezing and replacements Tim Delgado and Rich Sauveur taking the mound, only a couple thousand fans made it out. The Reds won the game 6–1.
A line drive single by Julio Franco in the fifth inning broke a 3–3 tie as Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 5–3 to win the final Ohio Cup in . Manny Ramírez had given Cleveland a 3–1 lead with a three-run homer to left field in the second off the Reds' Mark Portugal. Hal Morris drove in two runs for the Reds with a first-inning single and a double in the third, with Bret Boone scoring both times. A single by Vince Coleman in the fifth drove in Jeff Branson and tied the score at 3–3. The victory gave the Indians a 6–2 lead in the Ohio Cup series and was viewed by 16,697 people, the largest crowd in the game's history and the second largest at Cooper Stadium. Indians starter Joe Roa was the winning pitcher.
Interleague Series (1997–present)