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 no-hitters and perfect games, here's a look at what's ahead for the week of May 11-17.
MONDAY: Milestone Monday
Red Sox at Rays, Sept. 12, 2015 (Ortiz’s 500th HR) -- 9 a.m. ET
Entering this game with 498 career homers, Boston’s David Ortiz decided to check off the milestone in one night as he went deep twice against the division-rival Rays at Tropicana Field.
White Sox vs. Angels, Sept. 16, 2007 (Thome’s 500th HR) -- 12 p.m. ET
Sluggers dream of reaching the 500-homer mark, but doing so on a walk-off? That’s a true memory, and one that Thome authored on this afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field when he slammed a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to deliver the White Sox a 9-7 victory.
Nationals vs. Tigers, May 11, 2016 (Scherzer’s 20 K's) -- 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET
Max Scherzer seemed to have a little more juice on his pitches as he faced his former club, mowing through the Tigers' lineup and becoming just the fourth pitcher to punch out 20 hitters across nine innings.
TUESDAY: Yankees Pitching Performances / Yogi Berra’s Birthday
“Set Apart: Jim Abbott” -- 9 a.m. ET
This documentary details the extraordinary Abbott, who overcame being born without a right hand to have a successful career at the University of Michigan and in the Major Leagues.
Yankees vs. Indians, Sept. 4, 1993 (Abbott’s no-hitter) -- 10 a.m. ET
Abbott’s greatest moment came on this afternoon at Yankee Stadium, as he plowed through a potent Tribe lineup that featured stars like Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome for a memorable no-no.
Yankees vs. Red Sox, July 4, 1993 (Righetti’s no-hitter) -- Noon ET
One of the all-time Independence Day performances came 27 years ago in the Bronx, when Dave Righetti became the first Yankee to throw a no-hitter since Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
Yankees vs. Expos, July 18, 1999 (Cone’s perfect game) -- 2 p.m. ET
A sizzling 98-degree day in the Bronx saw the 36-year-old David Cone put the perfect bow on Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, going 27-up and 27-down in an Interleague matchup against Montreal.
Yankees vs. Mariners, May 14, 1996 (Gooden’s no-hitter) -- 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET
In just his seventh start since returning to the Major Leagues following a year-long suspension, Dwight Gooden held New York in the palm of his right hand as he turned back the clock with a no-hitter against a mighty Mariners lineup.
Yankees vs. Twins, May 17, 1998 (Wells’ perfect game) -- 6 p.m. ET
David Wells, who attended the same high school as Larsen in San Diego, authored the perfect tribute to the Yankee great with a perfect game of his own against Minnesota.
1956 World Series Game 5 (Larsen’s perfect game) -- 8 p.m. ET
An unlikely hero emerged for the Yankees as Larsen, who was battered by the Dodgers in Game 2 of this series, rolled through Game 5 without a single baserunner and made history with the first (and still only) perfecto in postseason play.
WEDNESDAY: #WalkoffWednesday
MLB Network will air four World Series thrillers throughout the day Wednesday as chosen by the fans in a MLB Network’s Twitter vote.
THURSDAY: Tony Perez’s Birthday / Cardinals-Cubs Rivalry
1975 World Series film -- 8 a.m. ET
An all-time classic showdown between the Reds and Red Sox is relived in this one-hour documentary.
1975 World Series Game 5 -- 9 a.m. ET
Perez broke out of an 0-for-15 slump with a huge performance in Game 5, homering twice and driving in four runs off Red Sox starter Reggie Cleveland to help his Reds move just one win away from the world championship.
1975 World Series Game 7 -- 11 a.m. ET
Perez helped The Big Red Machine recover from the Carlton Fisk-induced heartbreak of Game 6, belting Bill Lee’s eephus pitch way over the Green Monster in the sixth inning as Cincinnati prevailed in this final winner-take-all thriller.
Cardinals at Cubs, June 23, 1984 -- 1 p.m. ET
Better known as “The Ryne Sandberg Game,” the Cubs prevailed in a wild 12-11, extra-innings affair over their bitter rivals as Sandberg hit two dramatic game-tying homers in front of a national audience on NBC’s Game of the Week.
Cubs at Cardinals, Sept. 21, 2019 -- 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET
St. Louis stuck a dagger into the reeling Cubs in this contest, as Yadier Molina and Paul Dejong knocked back-to-back homers on Craig Kimbrel’s first two pitches of the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals never looked back after this 9-8 victory, going on to claim the 2019 NL Central crown.
2015 NLDS Game 4 -- 8 p.m. ET
The Cubs earned a sweet victory over the rival Cardinals in this series-clinching win that sent them on to the NLCS. Don’t miss Kyle Schwarber’s epic scoreboard-topping homer in the bottom of the seventh.
FRIDAY: John Smoltz and George Brett’s Birthdays
“Atlanta Rules: The Story of the ‘90s Braves” -- 7 a.m. ET
The entire story, from a last-place team ending the decade of the 1980s to the most successful NL franchise of the '90s. Watch how the Braves acquired and developed one of the best starting staffs in baseball history, and complemented it with truly special talents like Chipper Jones, who would anchor the lineup for almost two decades.
“My Most Memorable Game: John Smoltz” -- 8 a.m. ET
The Hall of Fame pitcher relives his complete game shutout against the Pirates that led the Braves to win in Game 7 of the 1991 NLCS.
1991 NLCS Game 7 -- 9 a.m. ET
With the teams having traded 1-0 victories in Games 5 and 6 (after Atlanta notched a 1-0 win in Game 2), it's no surprise that Game 7 featured yet another masterful pitching performance -- at least on one side. While Smoltz went the distance for the Braves with a shutout, Pirates starter John Smiley was tagged for three early runs and exited after pitching just two-thirds of an inning.
Braves vs. Mets, May 24, 2007 -- 11:30 a.m. ET
In a battle of old friends, Smoltz outduels his former teammate Tom Glavine with seven shutout innings in a 2-1 Braves victory at Turner Field.
1985 ALCS Game 3 -- 3 p.m. ET
Longtime Royals fans know this as “The George Brett Game.” With his club facing a two games to none deficit to the Blue Jays, Kansas City’s hero went 4-for-4, homered twice and also made a spectacular defensive play at third base to get the Royals back in the series.
Royals at Yankees, July 24, 1983 -- 10:30 p.m. ET
Aka “The Pine Tar Game.” Watch Brett go ballistic after Yankees manager Billy Martin comes out of the dugout to protest the amount of pine tar on Brett’s bat after he homers in the Bronx.
SATURDAY: Slugfest Saturday
1997 World Series Game 3 -- 11 a.m. ET
In a back-and-forth affair, the Marlins and Indians combined for 25 runs on 26 hits, including four homers, in Game 3 of the 1997 Fall Classic. The teams were tied, 7-7, before the Marlins erupted for seven runs against a trio of Tribe relievers in the top of the ninth. Florida then withstood four runs from Cleveland in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 series lead.
1999 NLCS Game 6 -- 2 p.m. ET
After Robin Ventura’s “grand-slam single” in the bottom of the 15th inning of Game 5 kept the Mets alive against the Braves, the two clubs played another wild game two days later. The Mets rallied after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning, tying the game with four runs in the top of the seventh, but Andruw Jones’ bases-loaded walk four innings later sent the Braves to the World Series for the fifth time in nine years.
2002 World Series Game 2 -- 5 p.m. ET
While this game is perhaps best remembered for Barry Bonds’ colossal home run off Troy Percival in the top of the ninth, the blast ended up being inconsequential in the Angels’ 11-10 win over the Giants. Anaheim racked up 16 hits in the victory, with Tim Salmon crushing two homers in a 4-for-4, four-RBI performance.
SUNDAY: World Series Game 7s
2001 World Series Game 7 (D-backs vs. Yankees) -- 8 a.m. ET
In a World Series with many twists and turns, the Yankees remarkably hit game-tying, two-out, two-run homers in the bottom of the ninth inning on back-to-back nights and went on to win both games to take a 3-2 series lead. After Arizona knotted up the series with a 15-2 win in Game 6, it all came down to Game 7, which featured a marquee pitching matchup between Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling. Alfonso Soriano’s go-ahead homer in the top of the eighth put New York on the verge of its fourth straight title, but the D-backs rallied against legendary closer Mariano Rivera and took the crown on Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single.
1965 World Series Game 7 (Dodgers at Twins) -- 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET
Pitching ruled the day in the 1965 World Series, which saw the Dodgers drop the first two games to the Twins in Minnesota while scoring three runs combined. But the Dodgers won all three games in Los Angeles, blanking the Twins twice. And after losing Game 6, the Dodgers gave the ball to Sandy Koufax, who threw a three-hit shutout to win the third and final championship of his career. The performance capped a series in which Koufax went 2-1 with a 0.38 ERA, and the left-hander was named World Series MVP.
1979 World Series Game 7 (Pirates at Orioles) -- 2 p.m. ET
Led by NL MVP Willie Stargell and united by the popular disco tune, “We Are Family,” by Sister Sledge, the 1979 Pirates won 98 games in the regular season and swept the Reds in the NLCS to set up a showdown with the Orioles in the World Series. The Bucs fell behind three games to one but battled back to tie up the series, and in Game 7, the 39-year-old Stargell swatted a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the sixth to deliver a title to Pittsburgh.
2016 World Series Game 7 (Cubs at Indians) -- 5 p.m. ET
In a Fall Classic matchup between the teams with the two longest title droughts in MLB, the Cubs ended a 108-year wait by topping the Indians. It wasn’t easy, though, as Chicago had to rally from a 3-1 series deficit and then withstand Rajai Davis’ game-tying, two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth inning, as well as a brief rain delay before the top of the 10th, in Game 7. But ultimately, the Cubs walked away with their first championship in more than a century.
2014 World Series Game 7 (Giants at Royals) -- 8 p.m. ET
Madison Bumgarner cemented himself as one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time during the 2014 playoffs, tossing 52 2/3 innings of 1.03 ERA ball to help the Giants win their third title in five years. To finish off his epic run, Bumgarner came out of the bullpen in Game 7 -- three days after throwing a complete-game shutout on 117 pitches in Game 5 -- and fired five scoreless innings to save the game for San Francisco. Kansas City got the tying run to third base in the bottom of the ninth with Salvador Perez at the plate, but Bumgarner induced a popup for the final out.