Relive all the wildest, wackiest endings that the 2016 season had to offer

There are many ways to win a baseball game. Most of them are ordinary -- a solid pitching performance or timely hitting, for example. But as the past few months showed us, some of them are definitely not ordinary. This is an ode to the latter.
The 2016 season featured just about every kind of ending imaginable: there were balks, and bunts, and even the occasional critter. Let's remember some of the very wackiest.
A whole lot of inside-the-park homers
There are few plays in baseball as fun as the inside-the-park home run, a few seconds of improvisational madness that makes it feel like anything might happen. This year, the Baseball Gods decided to take all that fun and add in the thrill of a walk-off -- several different times.
First it was Yasiel Puig, whose ground ball to center field in the bottom of the ninth got under the glove of Nationals center-fielder Michael A. Taylor. All that was left was to keep running ... and running ... and running:

Just a couple weeks later, Josh Harrison decided he'd rather just have a nice, slow stroll home:

Not to be outdone, Indians center-fielder Tyler Naquin saw these prior feats and raised them a little rock 'n roll in August:

Computer ... ENHANCE:

Balk-off!
Like a walk-off, but so much better because it involves a balk. One of baseball's rarest gems popped up in San Diego back in July, when Giants closer Santiago Casilla faced runners on the corners in a tie game ... and couldn't quite keep his footing:

The classic pitcher squeeze play
How do you snap a 108-year championship drought? Get you a manager who can push all the right buttons. In an extra-inning battle against the Mariners in July, Joe Maddon not only decided to temporarily stick reliever Travis Wood in left field -- for which he was rewarded with one of the catches of the year -- but with Jason Heyward on third in the 12th, he called on ... pinch-hitter extraordinaire Jon Lester.
Squeeze play alert!

We all knew this Sunday night would end with a 2-strike #walkoff bunt by @JLester34. https://t.co/zHgFW0ed1L pic.twitter.com/ASPO4xMvaC

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2016

Yoenis Céspedes completes the Circle of Walk-offs
Befitting the King of Dingers, in August, Yoenis Cespedes decided to change his walk-up music to something special: "The Circle of Life." Befitting the King of the Jungle, Cespedes proceeded to launch a walk-off home run.

Befitting a sense of irony, the ball ended up ... in the hands of a Mets fan dressed as Simba:

Simba has Cespedes HR ball hit right at him. Can't make this stuff up. Cespedes' walk up song is Lion King theme. pic.twitter.com/wLNwqLDS8I

— Brandon Hanna (@BrandonHanna07) August 30, 2016

Because of course.
Pedro Álvarez's batting helmet comes through
There are plenty of ways to spark a late-inning rally -- hits, obviously, or walks, or a hit by pitch, or even an error. During a game against the Indians in July, however, the Orioles decided to forgo all those more traditional options. Instead, they went for the ol' "strikeout-wild-pitch-throw-hits-off-the-runner's-helmet" trick:

Four batters and one Nolan Reimold dinger later, Baltimore had a heads-up victory. (Sorry.)
We interrupt this walk-off to bring you some Rally Raccoons
We're not saying that raccoons were the reason the Charleston RiverDogs walked off against the Rome Braves back in July. We're just stating some facts: The game was tied, 2-2, in the middle of the tenth ... when some raccoons briefly interrupted the action:

After a 10-minute #raccoondelay, Jeff Hendrix drew a walk and came around to score the winning run on Mandy Alvarez's double. And just like that, the Rally Raccoon was born:

If you believe in the #RallyRaccoon, raise your hand. pic.twitter.com/Wta2LBheaY

— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) July 13, 2016