Interleague
The Ohio Cup was an annual pre-season baseball game, which pitted the Ohio rivals Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.
In its first series it was a single-game cup, played each year at minor-league Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, was staged just days before the start of each new Major League Baseball season. A total of eight Ohio Cup games were played, in 1989 to 1996, with the Indians winning six of them. It stopped because interleague play started in 1997. The winner of the game each year was awarded the Ohio Cup in postgame ceremonies. The Ohio Cup was a favorite among baseball fans in Columbus, with attendances regularly topping 15,000.
In 1997 and after, the two teams competed annually in the regular-season Battle of Ohio/Buckeye Series. In 2008 the Ohio Cup restarted. The Indians lead the interleague series 42-39. The two clubs play six games against each other every season, featuring a three game series in each city.
The Indians also have a rivalry with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the two teams play an annual three game series during interleague play in June, playing in Cleveland during even numbered years, and in Pittsburgh in odd number seasons. This rivalry stems from the close proximity of the two cities, and features some carryover elements from the longstanding rivalry from the two cities' NFL teams (Browns and Steelers).
Read more about this topic: Cleveland Indians Roster, Rivalries