The 10 most memorable moments of the MLB season

Although it technically occurred before the first pitch of opening day, the Team USA's inaugural victory in baseball’s biggest international showcase was a crowning achievement for the year. After years of early flame-outs leading to a lukewarm response to the event from many, Team USA finally got over the hump and claimed its first victory, capping what was already the most exciting World Baseball Classic tournament to date.

Marcus Stroman tossed a gem in the championship game, which saw the United States defeat a Puerto Rico team that had steamrolled its way to the finals. There was a heightened investment in the outcome from both the fan bases and players around the game as well. The next edition of the games could see an even more invested competitive field, as the stakes have now risen across the board.

9. The Astros go to the whip for an epic comeback 

On May 29, down 8-2 in the eighth inning, it appeared that the Twins had the Astros' number for the night. However, someone forgot to give the message to concede to the Astros, as they embarked on a furious comeback the likes of which had not been seen in franchise history.

In their 55 years of existence, the Astros had lost all 659 times when they were down by six runs in the eighth inning or later. On the back of six singles, two doubles, two walks, a hit by pitch, an RBI ground out and a three-run Carlos Beltran home run, they had not only come back from six down, but they tacked on another five runs for good measure. In the end, the Twins' Memorial Day meltdown was cemented as the Astros emerged with a 16-8 win.

9. Bruce Maxwell takes a stand by taking a knee 

Sometimes the most surprising outcomes can come from the most obscure locations. That was the case on Sept. 23, when little-known rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first Major League Baseball player to actively take a knee in protest during the national anthem. The stance was in response to the comments made by President Donald Trump regarding how NFL owners should handle players who opt against standing in recognition of the anthem, as well as the initial issues that made the topic of debate over the past year.

Maxwell placed his hand over his heart during the display, while teammate Mark Canha put his hand on his shoulder. At a time when the sport is at historic lows regarding African-Americans among its ranks, it was telling to see one of the few African-Americans in the game — one that was born on a military base, no less — ensure that Major League Baseball would not be left out of the demonstration.

7. Scooter Gennett goes deep, times four  

Although it had happened 13 times in history beforehand, Scooter Gennett’s four home run outburst against the Cardinals on June 6 is easily the most obscure date with homer history ever. Coming into the year, the 5’10, 185-pound second baseman had hit a total of 38 home runs in his entire career, with his single-season best the 16 he connected for last summer.

But Gennett found a groove and rode it, as he took Adam Wainwright, John Gant and John Brebbia (twice) over the fences in Great American Ballpark. On the, he went 5-for-5, drove in 10 runs and had 17 total bases to round off one of baseball’s most historically improbable days.

6. Edinson Volquez’s emotional no-hitter  

Of the 296 no-hitters in MLB history, it could easily be argued that none was more emotional than Volquez’s on June 3. On what would have been former Kansas City Royals teammate Yordano Ventura's 26th birthday, Volquez worked a gem in remembrance of his close friend. Ventura passed away in January in an automobile accident, and on this special date, Volquez had the best outing of his career.

Despite entering the game with a 1-7 record on the year and nearly spraining his ankle covering first base after the first pitch of the game, Volquez rolled through the Arizona Diamondbacks needing only 98 pitches to complete his no-no. After the game, he dedicated the outing not only to Ventura, but also to former Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, who had also tragically passed late last year.

5. Giancarlo Stanton’s one-man home run assault  

Giancarlo Stanton had long stood as baseball’s preeminent "what if" player — hurt far too often to ever put up the type of numbers he was capable of. Finally with a clean bill of health, Stanton emerged from the All-Star break locked in and making outfield fences look much closer than they really are.

Since July 14 when the second half of the season got underway, Stanton has hit 31 home runs, out-homering his first-half total by four in 74 fewer at-bats. This includes an all-time August record of 18 bombs, which included a stretch where he went deep in 10 of 12 games and six consecutively. Regardless of where his tally finishes for the year, for a while, Stanton managed to reawaken the long-absent, skepticism-free captivation of what a home run chase can be.

4. Adrian Beltre joins the 3,000-hit club  

Unlike the highly publicized hitting experts like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Derek Jeter and soon-enough Albert Pujols, some players reach 3,000 seemingly under the radar. That is certainly the case for the most recent player to climb the mountain in Adrian Beltre, who snuck up on many over the last few years with his Cooperstown-worthy résumé.

Beltre cracked hit No. 3,000 on July 30 in appropriate fashion, hustling into second base for a double against the Baltimore Orioles. It was the second milestone of the season for the 20-year vet, who also connected for his 600th double earlier in the same month. Don’t let his next potential milestone catch you by surprise either, as the 38-year-old is 38 homers shy of 500.

3. The Dodgers separate from the pack 

It seemed for a while during the summer that the Dodgers winning had joined death and taxes as a third unavoidable eventuality in life. Their May outcome was strong, going 19-9 on the month and closing the gap on fast starts from the Rockies and Diamondbacks. However, by May 17 something had completely clicked in the L.A. clubhouse — rookie Cody Bellinger hitting his stride playing a major role, for example — and the Dodgers simply took off. They would win 12 of their last 15 games in May, rising to the top of the NL West in the process — and were only getting started.

Over the next two months, the Dodgers dropped a grand total of 10 games, going 21-7 in June and 20-3 in July. Their .869 July winning percentage is the third highest for a month in baseball history. Counting Aug. 1, over the two-month stretch, they had three winning streaks of nine games or more and peaked in the standings with a 21-game lead from Aug. 22-25. Thus was the dominance of the Dodgers that they eliminated the last-place Giants from playoff contention before the final month of the season began.

2. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger show up in style 

It has been the most anti-climatic season for Rookie of the Year honors in history, because the parallel first years of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger have made the awards foregone conclusions. The rookies rookies bashed their way through their respective leagues, shredding the record books along the way.

Judge broke the record for home runs in a rookie season, becoming the first ever to hit 50 in a season. Along the way, he also became the fourth rookie ever to have 45 homers, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored and 100 walks in a season. His showing in the All-Star Home Run Derby was a thing of legend, as he routinely crushed 450-foot (and longer) shots to win the contest, outdoing even Giancarlo Stanton on his home turf.

Meanwhile on the West Coast, Bellinger was mashing the ball over the fence at an even more frantic pace than Judge. After being promoted on April 25, Bellinger had four multi-home run performances in his first 45 games, besting the previous record by 18. On June 20, he became the first rookie ever to have 10 homers in 10 games' time. In all, he hit 22 home runs in his first two full months as a pro and poured gas on the fire that became the Dodgers' roar up the standings.

1. The Indians go streaking 

On Aug. 21, the Indians began a four-game series hosting the team they had swept out of last season’s postseason, the Boston Red Sox. While at the time it appeared to just be an intriguing pairing of two division leaders who could meet again later in the year, it instead turned out to be the springboard of something much bigger than had ever been seen before in American League history.

The Indians won the final game of the four-game set after dropping the middle two games of the series. However, that Aug. 23 loss was the last one the team would experience for three weeks, as the Indians began what would be an American League record 22-game winning streak, breaking the previous record of 20 by the 2003 Oakland A’s. When the streak was ended on by the Kansas City Royals in mid-September, it stood as the second longest in MLB history behind a 26-game unbeaten run by the 1916 New York Giants.

During the streak, the Indians did not simply win — they dominated. They outscored opponents 139-35, issuing seven shutouts, and only trailed in four of 189 innings over the span. Only once did they win via walk-off, which came in the 22^nd and final victory. And after the heart of the streak ended, the Indians did not relent either, winning seven of their next nine games.