What comes to mind when you think about great pitching performances? A no-hitter? Postseason domination? That's what's in store Monday on MLB Network, when the only no-hitter in Mets history, as well as three of the best individual pitching performances in recent postseason memory will air. And it doesn't stop there. After the final game airs -- Randy Johnson's magnificent three-hit shutout of the Yankees in Game 2 of the 2001 World Series -- watch a documentary on the Big Unit and cap the night with a Bleacher Feature classic. Here's the full programming schedule.
9 a.m. ET -- Johan Santana's no-hitter, Cardinals at Mets on June 1, 2012
The Mets had just turned 50 years old, but still didn't have a no-hitter in franchise history. That changed on June 1, 2012, when Johan Santana had a magical night at Citi Field against the Cardinals. The two-time Cy Young Award-winning left-hander needed 134 pitches and walked five, but in the end got David Freese to strike out swinging for his eighth strikeout of the game and the first no-hitter in club history.
11 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET -- 2014 World Series Game 5, Royals at Giants
In the midst of one of the finest postseasons a pitcher has ever had, Madison Bumgarner shut down Kansas City's lineup in a four-hit shutout at then-AT&T Park (now Oracle Park). The big left-hander yielded one extra-base hit, walked none and struck out eight to lower his postseason ERA that October to 1.13. Three days later, Bumgarner came out of the bullpen for a five-inning save in Game 7, preserving a 3-2 lead and helping lift San Francisco to its third World Series title in five years. Bumgarner, who had already been named National League Championship Series MVP, was also named World Series MVP.
2 p.m. ET -- 2003 NLCS Game 5, Cubs at Marlins
Josh Beckett was hit hard for six runs over 6 1/3 innings in Game 1, which the Marlins won in a slugfest at Wrigley Field, 9-8. But in Game 5, the 23-year-old right-hander was brilliant, throwing a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 Marlins victory in Miami, walking one and striking out 11. While his catcher, Ivan Rodriguez, would go on to be named NLCS MVP, Beckett continued his dominance in the World Series against the Yankees, being named MVP of the six-game Fall Classic victory over New York.
4 p.m. ET -- 2001 World Series Game 2, Yankees at D-backs
The 2001 World Series was highlighted by tremendous pitching performances from the one-two punch of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The two would be named co-MVPs of the D-backs' seven-game victory over the Yankees, and in Game 2, the Big Unit was nearly unhittable. Johnson allowed just three singles in a shutout of New York's lineup, walking one and striking out 11 in a 4-0 Arizona victory.
7 p.m. ET -- "MLB Network Presents: Randy Johnson, The Big Picture"
From a lankly lefty who couldn't find the strike zone enough to one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, watch the story of the Big Unit in this documentary that also captures his love of photography. See how Johnson went from USC to the Expos, his trade to Seattle, the peak of his Hall of Fame career in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the D-backs and the twilight of his career, in which he racked up milestone after milestone to rewrite the record books.
8 p.m. ET -- Bleacher Features: "Little Big League"
Watch this classic movie about a 12-year-old boy who inherits the Twins and appoints himself manager. With cameos from players like Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Raines and others, the Twins overcome long odds to force a one-game tiebreaker with the Mariners for a postseason berth.