Thursday marks the 11th anniversary of the 300th win for one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Randy Johnson. MLB Network is celebrating the Big Unit through a documentary and an airing of the June 4, 2009, game in which Johnson's Giants beat the Nationals in Washington. Then, stay tuned for a slugfest marathon featuring the Red Sox, Cardinals, Cubs, Padres and Yankees. Here's the full programming schedule.
7 a.m. ET -- "MLB Network Presents: Randy Johnson, The Big Picture"
Before watching Johnson join the 300-win club, check out this special MLB Network documentary on the Big Unit. It'll take you back to the Expos drafting him as a raw, hard-throwing left-hander out of USC, to his wildness early on in his Major League career, to his transformation into one of the most dominant pitchers of all time with the Mariners and D-backs, to a milestone-filled career twilight and induction into the Hall of Fame.
8 a.m. ET -- The Big Unit's 300th career win, Giants at Nationals on June 4, 2009
Watch Johnson pick up win No. 300 of his illustrious career with a vintage performance at Nationals Park, tossing six strong inning and yielding just one unearned run on two hits. He was relieved by Brandon Medders (who was 5 years old when Johnson was drafted by the Expos in 1985), Jeremy Affeldt (he had just turned 6) and Brian Wilson (3).
10 a.m. ET -- Pujols walks off Cubs with second homer, Cubs at Cardinals on June 4, 2011
Albert Pujols had already launched a two-run homer off Chicago starter Randy Wells in the fourth inning, but he wasn't done, making his second home run of the game a dramatic one in the bottom of the 12th inning of a 4-4 game.
Noon and 11 p.m. ET -- 1998 World Series Game 1, Padres at Yankees
The Yankees were looking to make it two championships in three seasons entering the 1998 World Series, and the Padres were in their first Fall Classic in 14 years, looking for their first World Series title. It was looking good for San Diego early, as the Padres jumped out to a 5-2 lead. But everything was coming up sevens for New York with a seven-run seventh inning that catapulted the Yanks to a 9-5 lead in an eventual 9-6 victory. Tony Gwynn homered off the third deck in right field and Greg Vaughn went deep twice for the Padres. But it was no match for the Yankees' offensive onslaught in the seventh, when Tino Martinez delivered a grand slam and Chuck Knoblauch also homered.
3 p.m. ET -- 2004 World Series Game 1, Cardinals at Red Sox
Well, what did you expect with two juggernaut lineups meeting in the Fall Classic? In an 11-9 victory, the Red Sox took their first step in what would ultimately be a sweep of the Cards for Boston's first World Series title in 86 years. And that came after the greatest comeback in baseball history in the American League Championship Series, when the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 Series deficit to the Yankees and came back to win the AL pennant.
In this slugfest, Boston struck first with a four-run first inning, including a two-run homer by David Ortiz. But St. Louis promptly began chipping away at the early deficit until it tied the game in the sixth, 7-7. Ortiz and Manny Ramirez delivered back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh to put the Red Sox back on top, 9-7. But the Cards tied it again in the eighth, setting the stage for the biggest hit in the game, a Mark Bellhorn go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that lifted Boston to an 11-9 victory. Ortiz led the way with four RBIs for the Red Sox, and Larry Walker paced the Cardinals with a 4-for-5 night that included a pair of doubles and a homer.
6 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET -- MLB Pipeline presents 2020 Top 100 Prospects list
With the June 10-11 MLB Draft right around the corner, check out MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Draft Prospects list to see which amateur players will hear their names called as they look to become the MLB stars of tomorrow.
7 p.m. ET -- "MLB Network Presents: Impossible Dream: Red Sox Nation Begins"
Red Sox fans rejoiced when Boston finally won its first World Series championship in 86 years in 2004. But Red Sox Nation dates all the way back to a magical 1967 season, when Boston turned a 72-90 campaign the year before into a 92-70 season that resulted in an AL pennant. Though they lost to the Cardinals in the World Series, the Red Sox ignited their legion of fans in what has come to be known as "Red Sox Nation," and an enduring image of a triple-crown-winning Carl Yastrzemski leading that club to improbable heights will forever hold a special place in Red Sox lore.
8 p.m. ET -- Bleacher Feature: "Fever Pitch"
Cap off the day with this romantic comedy about a die-hard Red Sox fan who falls in love with a highly-successful but workaholic executive and has to try and reconcile his love of the Sox with his love for his girlfriend. It's all set against the backdrop of the miracle 2004 season at Fenway Park.