Most amazing American League games of 2016

The Indians came thisclose to bringing a World Series title home to their fans and to the American League after an amazing 2016 season. Taking the Chicago Cubs to the 10th inning of the seventh game of the Fall Classic was just about as memorable as it gets.

But the Indians were one of 15 teams in the AL, and each one had its own Game of the Year. In consultation with the MLB.com beat reporters for every team, here are the best individual games for each AL club during another fantastic year in Major League Baseball:

Angels: 10-3 win on Sept. 3 at Seattle

In a banged-up, otherwise-down year for the Angels, there were still great moments, and the ongoing highlight reel that is Albert Pujols’ career provided many of them. The stately slugger seemingly made history with every big hit, and on this night, that was the case. Pujols hit two home runs, giving him 588 for his career to move past Frank Robinson (586) for ninth on the all-time list. Pujols had already passed Reggie Jackson, Rafael Palmeiro, Harmon Killebrew and Mark McGwire earlier in the year and finished 2016 with 591 career homers, which puts him in position to eclipse 600 in ’17. Full recap >

Astros: 5-3 win on May 11 vs. Indians

The Astros didn’t reach the postseason in 2016, but their young, exciting core of players had them battling in contention until the final weeks of the season. That spirit was evident throughout 2016 and in this particular game. The Astros had a lead in the ninth when the eventual AL champions tied it up. The game lasted seven more innings, into the 16th, when Astros infielder Marwin Gonzalez ended the five-hour-plus nail-biter with a walk-off two-run homer that sent the Minute Maid Park crowd home happy. Full recap >

A’s: 8-5 win on May 17 vs. Rangers

A’s slugger Khris Davis had a breakout season at the plate, with 42 homers, and three of those came in this game, including a grand slam that walked it off in the ninth after Texas had taken the lead. Davis had six RBIs in the game, which the slugger punctuated in true Bay Area style with a Steph Curry jump-shot re-enactment while rounding third base. Full recap >

Blue Jays: 7-6 win on Oct. 9 vs. Rangers in Game 3 of the AL Division Series

This ALDS rematch was as emotionally charged as the previous version, in 2015. Game 3 was a big part of that, and it went all the way to the 10th inning. With the game tied at 6, Josh Donaldson led off with a double and moved to second base when the Rangers elected to intentionally walk Edwin Encarnacion. With one out, Russell Martin hit a bouncer to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who flipped to second baseman Rougned Odor for one out. Odor’s throw to first was in the dirt and was not handled cleanly by Mitch Moreland. That was all Donaldson needed to let it ride by rounding third and diving home with the series-sweeping run. Full recap >

Indians: 3-0 win on Oct. 19 at Toronto in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series

The Indians were working with a short-staffed starting rotation because …

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