Ohio Cup stays in Cleveland for the 10th consecutive year: Guardians breakfast

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Ohio Cup, symbol of Cleveland’s rivalry with Cincinnati, is inescapable this year after the Guardians beat the Reds 6-1 on Tuesday. Cleveland defended the Cup and has a chance to win it for the 12th time tonight with a third win in four games between the two clubs.

Cleveland has won the Cup ten consecutive seasons since 2015 and has a 30-15 record against the Reds during that time. The Guardians have won the Ohio Cup a total of 11 times and defended it 11 times, while the Reds have won the Cup five times.

While the fate of the Cup is no longer up for debate, the question of this year’s Frank Robinson Most Outstanding Player Award is still uncertain. The award is named after the legendary Hall of Fame player and manager who spent 10 seasons with the Reds and three with Cleveland. It recognizes the player who performed best in the season series between the two clubs.

Last season, Myles Straw won the award. This year, Josh Naylor, Tanner Bibee and José Ramírez have good chances of winning the honor.

Bibee told reporters after Tuesday’s win that helping the club defend the Cup this season ranks pretty high on his list of career accomplishments.

“I mean, I’ve never been to the World Series, so it has to be number one,” Bibee joked.

Lane Thomas, who joined the club in late July and hit a home run in his first batting appearance in the Ohio Cup, admired the hardware during his postgame interview.

“I didn’t know what it was until about 20 minutes before the game started,” Thomas admitted. “So it looks great.”

ALDS Schedule

Cleveland will open the American League Division Series on October 5 at a date to be determined. The Guardians secured a bye to the ALDS with their win last night. The full MLB playoff schedule can be found here.

The game tonight

LHP Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.63) vs. RHP Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.61) Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians radio network will broadcast the game.

What happens next?

Here’s what the Guardians can expect after Wednesday’s game against the Reds:

Thursday: The guards are gone.

Friday: The Astros arrive at Progressive Field to close out the regular season with a three-game series. The tentative lineup calls for RHP Ben Lively (13-9, 3.80) to start for Cleveland, while RHP Justin Verlander (4-6, 5.55) will start for Houston. Game time is 7:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians Radio Network will broadcast the series.

Saturday: LHP Matthew Boyd (1-2, 2.72) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (12-6, 2.88) at 6:10 p.m.

Sunday: RHP Gavin Williams (3-10, 4.86) vs. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-15, 4.61) at 3:10 p.m.

October 1: The best-of-three wildcard series in the AL and NL begin. They run until October 3rd.

October 5: The four division series, two in the AL, two in the NL, begin. The division series are played in a best-of-five format.

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