As 2019 begins, we look forward to new (and hopefully better) moments and memories. But for now, let’s rewind to some of the top sports moments of 2018, presented in no particular order:

The Philly Special

The Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs all season, especially heading into Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. After losing their quarterback Carson Wentz earlier in the season to an ACL injury, backup quarterback Nick Foles took over the offense. While playing a team as talented and experienced as the Patriots, the Eagles needed to pull out every play in the book to even have a chance at victory. At a crucial moment towards the end of the first half, Philadelphia did just this. On a fourth and goal, Foles moved up to the line to act like he was directing the offensive, while center Jason Kelce simultaneously direct snapped the football to running back, Corey Clement. Clement then tossed it to motioning receiver Trey Burton, who found Foles in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. This play is now known as the “Philly Special” to the public, as it is the name of the play Foles called while in the huddle. For his performance in Super Bowl LII, Foles was voted MVP.

Mbappé stars at World Cup

At the World Cup this summer, then 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé had a Pelé-esque feel to him. During the tournament, the French forward scored on 50 percent of his shots at the tournament, scoring four goals in total. One of Mbappé’s four goals came in the World Cup Final against Croatia. By scoring in the Final, Mbappé became the only teenager besides Pelé to score in a World Cup Final, according to SI. Looking outside of Mbappé’s stellar play on the field, he also had commendable actions off the field as he donated his 2018 FIFA World Cup Match salary to charity.

Ovi hoists the Cup

As one of the elite hockey players of today, only one milestone had held Alexander Ovechkin back from being considered one of the all time greats; he had never lifted the coveted Stanley Cup. After being down 2-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it looked as if Ovechkin was doomed to yet another season short of the Cup. With their back against the wall, the Capitals would proceed to win the next four games of the series and head to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would narrowly defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in the series. After winning the Conference Finals, Ovechkin would go where he had never gone before: the Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals would go on to defeat the Cinderella story, the Las Vegas Golden Knights (who was in its first year of existence) 4-1 in the series, with Ovechkin claiming the MVP honors. Also, don’t forget about the countless sleepovers Ovechkin had with the Cup.

18-inning thriller in L.A.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox squared off in the 2018 World Series this October, with the Red Sox winning the series 4-1. Though the Red Sox won the World Series rather handily, one game will go down in the history books forever. In game three of the series, the two teams were dead-even throughout, pushing the game well into extra innings. In the longest MLB postseason game in history, the teams combined had 561 pitches and a total of 46 of their 50 available players for the game were used, according to the New York Times. The game would not end until approximately 2:30 a.m. CT when Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy ended the game on a walk-off homerun.

Honorable Mentions
Other honorable mentions include: UMBC’s basketball triumph over Virginia, becoming the first 16 seed to defeat a one seed, Justify becoming the 13th horse to win the Triple Crown and the Miami Miracle against the Patriots.

These feats, highlights and titles are all moments that will live on in the hearts of sports fans forever. Let’s see what moments 2019 will bring in the sports realm.