CINCINNATI, June 3 (UPI) -- Interleague play begins Tuesday night with some intriguing matchups, including the Minnesota at San Francisco, and the New York Yankees at Cincinnati.
The Giants and Twins will be meeting in the regular season for the first time, but the two franchises date back to the origins of major league baseball.
The Giants began playing in New York in the 1880s, and the Twins
branched off from the original Washington Senators, one of the
eight founding members of the American League in 1901.
The Giants and Senators squared off twice in the World Series. On Oct. 10, 1924, the Senators pulled out a 4-3 victory in the 12th inning of a decisive Game Seven, capturing the lone title for the nation's capital.
The clash between the current leaders of the National League West and American League Central divisions represents the first of 12 straight interleague games for each.
In the series opener, southpaw Damian Moss (6-3) goes against righthander Joe Mays, who also is 6-3.
San Francisco's 51-41 all-time record in interleague play is the third-best among National League clubs. Minnesota's 50-52 interleague mark ranks eighth among American League teams.
Earlier in the evening, the Reds are at home to the Yankees. The two teams will meet for the first time since the 1976 World Series.
The Yankees and Reds have never met during the regular season. They have played each other three times in the World Series, the last coming with a Cincinnati sweep in 1976.
The Yankees won the first two postseason meetings between the teams, the 1939 and 1961 World Series.
The starters will be southpaw Andy Pettitte for New York and righthander Jimmy Haynes for the Reds.
Also of note include Toronto at St. Louis, Seattle at Philadelphia, Montreal against Anaheim at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
