Game 1: 39 Yankees 3, 75 Reds 1 (Yankees lead, 1-0)

The matchup between two of the highest scoring teams in baseball history started off with a pitcher's duel.

Red Ruffing held the Big Red Machine to two singles, only one after the first inning, and Joe Gordon homered to lead the 1939 Yankees to a 3-1 win over the 1975 Reds in game one of their best of seven semifinal series.

The Reds looked headed to a big inning before most of the Yankee Stadium crowd had gotten settled. Pete Rose led off the game with a walk, and Ken Griffey was hit by a pitch. But Ruffing got Joe Morgan to bounce into a force out and Johnny Bench to line out before Tony Perez singled in the first run of the series.

The Yankees got it back in the bottom of the second on the Gordon home run. The game stayed tied until the fifth, when Charlie Keller led off with a single, Frankie Crosetti followed with a bunt single, and Ruffing singled to give himself the lead. After George Selkirk was walked, Red Rolfe forced Selkirk at second, but Crosetti scored to extend the lead to 3-1, and that was it for the scoring.

Don Gullett only allowed four hits in six innings but took the loss, his first of the tournament.

Game 1: 98 Yankees 2, 70 Orioles 0 (Yankees lead, 1-0)

David Cone was superb, tossing a four hit shutout, and Chuick Knoblauch and Derek Jeter had key hits as the 1998 Yankees took a 1-0 series lead with a 2-0 win game one over the 1970 Baltimore Orioles.

Cone struck out nine in his 125 pitch effort, and twice got out of based-loaded situations by getting Davey Johnson to ground into double plays.

The Yankees jumped in front early as Knoblauch led off with a single and Jeter doubled him in. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the third when Knoblauch led off with a home run, his first of the tournament.

Dave McNally pitched well in the loss for the Orioles.

Game 2: 75 Reds 4, 39 Yankees 3 (Series tied, 1-1)

Joe Morgan finally woke up, and he led another miracle finish for the 1975 Reds as they evened their semifinal with the 1939 Yankees with a 4-3 victory in game two.

Morgan keyed a four run 9th inning rally off Johnny Murphy with a key two run double as the Reds came back from a 3-0 deficit to take the win.

In the fateful ninth, with one out, Cesar Geronimo singled, Dan Driessen singled, and Pete Rose drove in two with a double. After Ken Griffey was walked, Morgan doubled to drive in Rose and Griffey and give the Reds the lead.

Rawly Eastwick came in and pitched a perfect ninth, retiring Joe DiMaggio on a long fly to left to end the game.

The Yankees scored twice in the first on DiMaggio's double and Joe Gordon's single. They added another run in the third on a solo homer by George Selkirk.

The series now moves back to Cincinnati for three games.

Game 2: 70 Orioles 5, 98 Yankees 1 (Series tied, 1-1)

This time, El Duque didn't have all the answers.

Frank Robinson had two home runs, drove in three and was reached base four times to lead the 1970 Orioles to an easy 5-1 win over the 1998 Yankees and tie up their semifinal series at one game each.

Orlando Hernandez, who had been unbeaten in the tournament so far, was touched for five runs and nine hits for his first loss. Jim Palmer scattered nine Yankee hits and improved to 4-0 in the tournament.

The Yankees took an early lead when Bernie Williams singled in Paul O'Neill in the first. But after Robinson walked in the fourth, Davey Johnson gave the Orioles the lead with a two run shot. Robinson added his own two run homer in the sixth to extend the lead to 4-1, and then led off the bottom of the eighth with his second homer of the game to ice it.

Marcelio Lopez came in to retire the Yankees in the ninth after Palmer tired.

Game 3: 39 Yankees 5, 75 Reds 2 (Yankees lead, 2-1)

Atley Donald pitched eight solid innings and Bill Dickey had three hits as the 1939 Yankees defeated the 1975 Reds 5-2 and took a 2-1 lead in the best of seven.

The Yankees opened the scoring in the fourth on a Dickey RBI single and Babe Dahlgren RBI double. They extended the lead to 4-0 on a George Selkirk fifth inning home run off losing pitcher Jack Billingham, and to 5-2 on a Charlie Keller solo shot.

George Foster tried to rally the Reds with a mammoth blast in the seventh, but Steve Sundra came on to close out the Reds in the ninth after a leadoff double by Johnny Bench.

Game 3: 98 Yankees 5, 70 Orioles 1 (Yankees lead, 2-1)

David Wells allowed one run over eight innings and was supported by home runs by Shane Spencer and Darryl Strawberry as the 1998 Yankees defeated the 1970 Orioles 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Paul Blair homered in the first to give the visiting Orioles the lead, but the Yanks tied it up quickly on a leadoff triple by Chuck Knoblauch and an RBI groundout by Derek Jeter. Spencer put them ahead with a solo home run in the 4th, and Strawberry made it 3-1 with his 5th inning blast. They added two more runs in the sixth on a Jorge Posada double.

Mariano Rivera came in after Wells allowed two hits in the ninth and shut down the Orioles for his fourth save of the tourney.

Game 4: 75 Reds 6, 39 Yankees 5 (Series tied, 2-2)

Johnny Bench drove in three runs and the 1975 Reds again rallied late to defeat the 1939 Yankees 6-5 and tie their series at two.

The Yankees jumped out to a 3-0 lead on homers by Bill Dickey and Red Rolfe. The Reds climbed back and took the lead on a two run double by Bench in the third and a single by Bench in the sixth. When Tony Perez drove in Ken Griffey with a sacrifice fly in the 7th, the Reds led 4-3. But George Selkirk hit his third home run of the series with Frankie Crosetti aboard and the Yankees again led 5-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Tony Perez led off with a solo home run to tie the game, and the winning run scored when Pete Rose drove in George Foster.

Bump Hadley struggled in the loss for the Yanks, only giving up six hits but walking nine.

Game 4: 98 Yankees 10, 70 Orioles 7 (Yankees lead, 3-1)

Bernie Williams drove in four runs with a huge grand slam and Ramiro Mendoza pitched well in relief as the 1998 Yankees overcame a six run deficit and won game four 10-7 over the 1970 Orioles to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Andy Pettite was ineffective for the Yankees, allowing another first inning Paul Blair home run and seven runs in four-plus innings before being pulled. But Mendoza came in to shut down the Orioles for five innings, allowing only three hits the rest of the way.

After Pettite's rough fifth, the Yankees trailed 7-1. But they scored twice in that inning on a Chuck Knoblauch single and a Derek Jeter groundout and then Scott Brosius drove in two with a sixth inning double to make it 7-5.

In the seventh inning, the Yanks broke out, with Williams striking the big blow. Knoblauch and Jeter walked, and Paul O'Neill followed with a single that loaded the bases. Williams then hit an 0-2 offering from Orioles starter Jim Hardin into the bleachers to give the Yanks the lead. Darryl Strawberry added an RBI single later in the inning to close out the scoring.

Game 5: 39 Yankees 6, 75 Reds 1 (Yankees lead, 3-2)

George Selkirk hit his fourth home run of the series and Red Ruffing scattered six hits as the 1939 Yankees moved one win away from the finals with a convincing 6-1 win over the 1975 Reds in Cincinnati.

Selkirk led off the game with a home run, and Red Rolfe extended the Yankee lead to 2-0 with a third inning solo shot. The Yanks then broke it open in the fifth. Frankie Crosetti walked, Ruffing singled, and Rolfe singled to load the bases. Joe DiMaggio then hit a grand slam to give the Yanks a 6-0 lead. The Reds added a late run but rarely threatened in the last four innings.

The Yankees head back to Yankee Stadium needing one win to take the series.

Game 5: 98 Yankees 13, 70 Orioles 10 (Yankees win series, 4-1)

In a slugfest that featured eight home runs, the little guy had the biggest bang.

Chuck Knoblauch had three hits, including a pair of home runs, Derek Jeter added a pair of long home runs himself, and the 1998 Yankees outslugged the 1970 Orioles 13-10 to win their semifinal series by a surprising four games to one and advance to the finals.

Both starters, Dave McNally and David Cone, were ineffective. McNally started off poorly by allowing Knoblauch and Jeter to go back to back in the first inning, giving the Yanks a 2-0 lead. They extended it to 5-0 in the bottom of the second on a Darryl Strawberry RBI triple and Knoblauch's second home run.

But Cone couldn't hold it. In the top of the fourth he allowed home runs to Frank Robinson and run scoring singles to Mark Belanger and Merv Rettenmund to let the Orioles make it a 5-4 game, and the next inning loaded the bases before uncorking a wild pitch and hitting Belanger to give the Orioles the lead.

For the second straight game, Ramiro Mendoza came in to give the Yanks much needed stability in the middle innings.

The Yankees grabbed the lead back in the fifth. After a leadoff walk, Knoblauch and Jeter singled. Paul O'Neill walked, and after then Brooks Robinson thew uncharacteristically wild to first on a Bernie Williams grounder, Scott Brosius drove in three runs with a double to give the Yankees a 9-6 lead.

They extended it to 13-6 in the sixth inning on Jeter's second home run and a three run Shane Spencer blast.

The Orioles did not go down quietly. In the eighth, Don Buford and Boog Powell homered off Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson to make it a 13-10 game. The Yanks then went to the Sandman, Mariano Rivera, who earned his fifth save of the tournament and pitched the Yanks into the finals.

Game 6: 75 Reds 5, 39 Yankees 3 (Series tied, 3-3)

The 1975 Reds usually save their big rallies for their last at-bat. This time, they got it out of the way early.

The Reds jumped out to a 5-0 lead, then held on for a 5-3 win to even their series with the 1939 Yankees at three games apiece. Game seven will be tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Joe Morgan was the sparkplug, reaching base five times.

The Reds scored three times in the top of the first. Pete Rose walked, Ken Griffey doubled, and Morgan walked to load the bases against surprise Yankee starter Atley Donald, who was starting because Lefty Gomez was sick with the flu. Donald struck out Johnny Bench and Tony Perez, but then walked George Foster to force in a run, and Dave Concepcion singled in two more.

The Reds extended the lead on a two run home run by Rose in the fourth, but the Yankees struck back in the bottom of the inning on a three run home run by Bill Dickey.

After that, Nolan settled down. He only only allowed one hit the rest of the way, a Dickey single in the ninth that preceded a Babe Dahlgren double play.

Game 7: 39 Yankees 10, 75 Reds 2 (Yankees win series, 4-3)

In the end, it was Charlie Keller who had the big bat. His monster day at the plate won the series for the Yankees.

Keller went 4-for-4 with three home runs and 6 RBI as the 1939 Yankees exploded at the right time and got good pitching from Lefty Gomez to defeat the 1975 Reds 10-2 and win their semifinal series four games to three.

The Yanks got to Reds starter Jack Billingham early. Solo home runs by Bill Dickey and Keller gave them a 2-0 lead in the second. But the real damage was done in a six run third. With one out, George Selkirk singled, Red Rolfe walked, and Joe DiMaggio singled in a run. Joe Gordon followed with a run-scoring single. When Dickey walked to load the bases, Keller followed with a grand slam, his second homer of the day.

Keller also added a two run shot in the sixth. Johnny Bench hit a two run home run in the fourth for the two Reds runs.

With a chance to hit his fourth homer of the day in the eighth, Keller singled off Reds reliever Pedro Borbon.

So it comes down to this. Two Yankee teams, separated by almost six decades, will battle it out at Yankee Stadium to determine the greatest team of all time. The 1939 Yanks will have home field over the 1998 edition in the finals.

To the Finals...