"Orioles Classics" rewind: Reliving some of 2016's greatest hits

A new year is almost upon us, meaning it's a perfect time to reminisce about the 366 days (remember Feb. 29?) that comprised 2016.

For the Orioles, it was a pretty good year, that finish in the American League wild card game notwithstanding. From Zach Britton's brilliant season to Manny Machado's sterling glovework to home runs that seemed to zoom out of Camden Yards at a frenetic pace, 2016 was truly a year to remember.

Well, even before we wait for the big ball to drop in New York, how about looking back at some of the most memorable Orioles moments of 2016? Luckily, MASN has you covered with a variety of "Orioles Classics" in the coming week to satisfy your offseason baseball cravings with some of the greatest hits of the past year.

Enjoy! And here's to a happy, healthy and win-filled 2017 campaign for all!

Monday, Dec. 26, 9 a.m. - Before you venture out to begin your holiday gift returns, we rewind to opening day, when rain didn't dampen Baltimore's enthusiasm. Matt Wieters singled to center field in the ninth inning, giving the O's a 3-2 walk-off win over the Twins on April 4.

Monday, Dec. 26, 2:30 p.m. - Before the Birds' 11-5 triumph at Texas on April 15, no Orioles player had ever hit two homers in a single inning. Well, Mark Trumbo became the first, connecting off both Martin Perez and Andrew Faulkner in the seventh.

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 3 p.m. - A Mother's Day matinee on May 8 turned into a homerific occasion as the Orioles crushed six longballs in an 11-3 shellacking of the A's. Machado had a pair of blasts, with Pedro Alvarez, Jonathan Schoop, Trumbo and Joey Rickard also going deep.

Friday, Dec. 30, 9 a.m. - Sure, the Indians may have come within a game of winning the World Series last season, but the Orioles manhandled the Tribe at Camden Yards, sweeping a three-game weekend series in late July. Nolan Reimold hit a pinch-hit walk-off homer on July 24 to complete the sweep with a 5-3 win.

Friday, Dec. 30, noon - Machado became only the second player in major league history to hit home runs in the first three innings when he shredded White Sox pitching at then-named U.S. Cellular Field, jumpstarting the Orioles' 10-2 rout on Aug. 7.

Friday, Dec. 30, 3 p.m. - The Orioles rallied from six runs down in San Francisco with Schoop providing the timely late hit, a three-run blast in the ninth inning of an 8-7 comeback victory at AT&T Park.

Friday, Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. - Warm August nights and rising humidity usually mean Camden Yards turns into a launching pad. That's what happened on Aug. 18, when the O's used two-homer games from J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis to beat the Astros 13-5. The six-homer outburst also included clouts by Trumbo and Machado.

Saturday, Dec 31, 4:30 p.m. - Before you start imbibing potent potables to mark the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, how about celebrating Aug. 30, the night Machado became the youngest Oriole to reach 100 career homers by basting his 32nd of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays.

Sunday, Jan. 1, 1 p.m. - There were plenty of late-inning heroics in Birdland over the past year, including this game from the last home series of the season. Wieters homered to tie the game in the ninth and Trumbo connected in the 12th for a 3-2 Orioles walk-off win over the Diamondbacks on Sept. 23.

Sunday, Jan. 1, 9:30 p.m. - Few things are as special for a baseball fan as the game where their team clinches a playoff spot. For the Orioles, that game came on Oct. 2, the final day of the 2016 campaign. Kevin Gausman worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Wieters homered twice and drove in four runs in a 5-2 win that clinched a wild card berth for the Birds.