What's ahead this week on MLB Network
MLB Network has you covered while we wait for baseball to return, with classic games and documentaries airing all week long. From World Series classics to players hitting for the cycle, here's a look at what's ahead for the week of April 20-26.
WEDNESDAY: #WalkoffWednesday
MLB Network will air four postseason walk-off wins throughout the day Wednesday (10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET) as chosen by the fans in a MLB Network’s Twitter vote.
7 p.m. ET -- 2014 AL Wild Card Game (Royals 9, A's 8)
This was one of the craziest playoff games ever played. The Royals pulled off an epic 12-inning comeback win against the A's in their first postseason game since 1985, kick-starting their run to the AL pennant.
The A's held a 7-3 lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium, thanks to Brandon Moss' two home runs off James Shields and Yordano Ventura. But the game was only getting started. Down to their final six outs, the Royals scored three times in the eighth and tied the game in the ninth, with pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson's bold steal of third setting up the tying sac fly.
The winner-take-all game went to extra innings, and the A's retook the lead in the top of the 12th. But the Royals rallied again in the bottom of the inning, with Christian Colon driving in the tying run and scoring the winning run on Salvador Perez's walk-off single with two outs.
9 p.m. ET -- 2017 ALDS Game 2 (Indians 9, Yankees 8)
The Indians looked like they were out of this game, but they outslugged the Bronx Bombers and pulled off a huge comeback win to take a 2-0 series lead over the Yankees.
Game 2 at Progressive Field got off to a surprising start, when Gary Sánchez and Aaron Hicks crushed home runs off Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, who was all but unhittable en route to the AL Cy Young Award that year and had been lights-out the previous postseason. Another blast by Greg Bird off Mike Clevinger gave the Yankees an 8-3 lead.
But Francisco Lindor got the Indians back into the game with one swing when he crushed a grand slam off the right-field foul pole in the sixth inning. Jay Bruce tied the game with a home run in the eighth. The Tribe completed the comeback on Yan Gomes' walk-off single off Dellin Betances in the 13th inning.
THURSDAY: Great MLB Debuts
Max Scherzer’s debut (Astros at D-backs), April 29, 2008 -- 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET
How’s this for a harbinger to come: Scherzer’s first big league game saw him come out of the D-backs’ bullpen and twirl 4 1/3 perfect innings of relief while striking out seven. Mad Max’s first outing set a record for consecutive batters retired (13) for a pitcher who made his MLB debut as a reliever.
Fernando Tatis Jr.’s debut (Giants at Padres), March 28, 2019 -- 3 p.m. ET
Rewind back to last year’s Opening Day when Tatis -- one of baseball’s top prospects -- took the field at Petco Park and immediately impressed the hometown San Diego crowd. Just 20 years old at the time, Tatis went 2-for-3 against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, becoming the youngest player with a multi-hit game on Opening Day since a 19-year-old named Robin Yount in 1975.
Trevor Story’s debut (Rockies at D-backs), April 4, 2016 -- 5 p.m. ET
#StoryTime began with a bang in the Rockies’ 2016 opener, when Story clubbed two home runs off D-backs ace Zack Greinke to become the first Major Leaguer to homer twice while making his debut on Opening Day. Story went on to kock six homers in his first four big league games, and 10 dingers in his first 21 contests.
FRIDAY: Feel Good Friday
David Cone’s perfect game (Expos at Yankees), July 18, 1999 -- 12 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET
A day originally centered around Yogi Berra’s long-awaited return to Yankee Stadium evolved into so much more when Cone took the mound against Montreal and proceeded to author baseball’s 16th perfect game. Don Larsen, who had famously twirled a perfect game of his own for the Yankees in the 1956 World Series, was in attendance that afternoon, making for some beautiful symmetry on a hot afternoon in the Bronx.
Chad Bettis’ return (Braves at Rockies), Aug. 14, 2017 -- 2 p.m. ET
Bettis returned to the Rockies for the first time after being treated for testicular cancer and working his way back in the Minors for most of the season -- and he delivered a gem. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings as part of a no-decision as the Rockies went on to beat the visiting Braves in a feel-good night at Coors Field.
Piazza’s post-9/11 homer (Braves at Mets), Sept. 21, 2001 -- 4 p.m. ET
In one of the most socially impactful games in recent history, the Mets triumphed over their division rivals in New York City’s first professional sporting event following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Following more than a week of debate about whether sports should return in 2001, 41,235 fans packed into Shea Stadium looking for some return to normalcy. Mets slugger Mike Piazza gave them a memory they’d never forget when he belted a go-ahead, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“Mr. Baseball: Bob Uecker” -- 7 p.m. ET
This hour-long special tells the life story of Uecker, a former Major League catcher and the beloved play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers. Going beyond the broadcast booth, the documentary details how Uecker has always remained himself while touching countless people in the greater Milwaukee area and beyond throughout his decades in the game.
SATURDAY: Slugfest Saturday
Bo Bichette’s debut (Blue Jays at Royals), July 29, 2019 -- 8 a.m. ET
Toronto’s shortstop collected his first big league hit -- a second-inning single -- and the Blue Jays scored a 7-3 win over the Royals on the road. Bichette’s debut saw he, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio -- Toronto’s trio of touted legacy prospects -- play on the field together for the first time in the big leagues.
Hunter Renfroe’s 3-HR day (Padres at Rockies), June 14, 2019 -- 4 p.m. ET
San Diego found itself down by six runs entering the top of the ninth, but no lead is secure at Coors Field. The Padres tied it up with a six-pack and went on to score five more runs in the 12th for a wild comeback victory, with Renfroe notching the third three-homer game of his career as part of a 4-for-7 night.
The Crew’s 5-dinger day (Cubs at Brewers), April 5, 2019 -- 6 p.m. ET
The Brewers prevailed in a high-octane 13-10 contest at Miller Park, with Ryan Braun and Eric Thames each clubbing three-run homers for Milwaukee.
The Nats’ big comeback (Mets at Nationals), Sept. 3, 2019 -- 8 p.m. ET
The 2019 Washington Nationals simply refused to lay down, and perhaps no regular-season game better encapsulated their fighting spirit than this one. The Nats pulled off their biggest comeback in franchise history with seven runs in the bottom of the ninth as Kurt Suzuki capped the rally with a three-run, walk-off homer.
Slugfest in L.A. (Padres at Dodgers), Aug. 4, 2019 -- 10 p.m. ET
The Dodgers notched their ninth walk-off win of the 2019 season in a wild 11-10 triumph over the Padres, finished off by an eight-pitch, 10-minute at-bat by Max Muncy before he delivered a game-winning two-run double.
SUNDAY: Cycles
Mike Trout’s historic cycle (Mariners at Angels), May 21, 2013 -- 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET
Baseball’s best player added an early career feather to his cap on this night seven years ago, driving in five runs as the Halos routed the Mariners, 12-0. The 21-year-old Trout became the youngest AL player to hit for the cycle.
Christian Yelich’s incredible 6-for-6 cycle (Brewers at Reds), Aug. 29, 2018 -- 2 p.m. ET
This was one of the biggest bullet points on Yelich’s 2018 NL MVP resume, as the Milwaukee star tied a club record with six hits and powered the Crew to a big comeback in a 13-12, extra-inning thriller over the Reds. In doing so, Yelich became just the fourth player in the Live Ball Era to record six hits in a cycle.
Nolan Arenado’s Father’s Day cycle (Giants at Rockies), June 18, 2017 -- 4 p.m. ET
Arenado recorded a cycle for the ages on Father’s Day 2017, capping it with a dramatic, three-run walk-off homer against Giants closer Mark Melancon to send Coors Field into a frenzy.
Shohei Ohtani’s cycle (Angels at Rays), June 13 2019 -- 6 p.m. ET
Ohtani completed something that no other Japanese-born player -- not even the great Ichiro Suzuki -- had done before when he hit for the cycle against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Ohtani wrapped his feat up by the seventh inning, when he singled off Tampa Bay reliever Hunter Wood to follow up a first-inning homer, third-inning double and fifth-inning triple.
Cody Bellinger’s cycle (Dodgers at Marlins), July 15, 2017 -- 8 p.m. ET
Bellinger’s sensational NL Rookie of the Year season included this gem in Miami, when he became the first rookie in Dodgers franchise history to hit for the cycle. Bellinger’s big day was part of an even bigger week for the L.A. freshman, as he had competed in the Home Run Derby and then played in the All-Star Game just days before.