With 2016 finally coming to a close, we must look back at the good things the year brought us. In the entirety of sports, 2016 was a crazy year. In terms of MLB, we saw a 108-year curse being broken – now that’s special.
2016 has been a crazy year for us all, and in the closing weeks of the year we must reminisce on the good that the year brought us. MLB saw one of its worst tragedies in a while, the unfortunate passing of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. 2016 also saw the abrupt, unfortunate retirement of Prince Fielder. Other retirements, such as David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, pull a string on our soft spots, but Fielder didn’t get the opportunity to go out on his own terms. The game of baseball saw some sad things this year, but also had some incredible moments.
Instead of focusing on the blemishes of 2016, this list will be bringing out the best things that happened this year. I have always preached that the game of baseball gives us moments that cannot be found anywhere else. This is why it is America’s Pastime. Look at some of sports’ all-time greatest moments and most of them are baseball. Examples include Hank Aaron‘s 715th home run, or Kirk Gibson‘s walk-off winner in Game One of the 1988 World Series. We have Game Seven walk-offs, perfect games, cycles and four home run showcases. The game of baseball offers more variety than any other, hence its common great moments.
With all of that being said, 2016 had some pretty fantastic moments. We had the funny ones that remind us it is just a game, the historic ones and the emotional ones. 2016 will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest years of baseball as of late, so to honor the calendar year dwindling down, let’s take a look at the five best moments from 2016.