Ranking the 10 Most Unforgettable Moments from the 2014 MLB Postseason Thus Far

Postseason baseball often provides its fans with some of the most memorable moments in all of sports.

With the World Series on the horizon, the 2014 MLB postseason has already exceeded expectations in the drama department. 

The Kansas City Royals became the first team in MLB history to win its first eight playoff games, en route to claiming the AL pennant for the first time in 29 years. 

Young, promising talents such as Bryce Harper, Kolten Wong and Mike Moustakas have used the October stage to emerge as potential stars in MLB.

Walk-off wins and spine-tingling comebacks have captured the attention of baseball and sports fans alike. 

This list is compromised of the most unforgettable moments during this postseason. The following choices have been ranked with an emphasis on dramatic appeal and historical relevance. These 10 moments became social media trends and widely discussed topics in all facets of sports media. 

Read on to see which moments of the 2014 MLB postseason made fans around the country say "wow."

Honorable Mentions

Don Wright/Associated Press

Brandon Crawford's grand slam in the NL Wild Card Game barely missed the list.

Before we dive into the list, here are a few moments that just missed the cut. 

Mike Moustakas' Go-Ahead Home Run in Game 1 of ALDS

Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas has had a roller coaster 2014. After being sent down to the minors in May, "Moose" turned his season around to become a key cog in the KC postseason lineup. His perseverance was rewarded, when he crushed a go-ahead homer in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels. 

Michael Morse's Pinch-Hit Home Run to tie Game 5 of NLCS

Morse had not homered since Aug. 15, but that drought ended at the perfect time for the Giants. Trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning of Game 5, Morse crushed a leadoff homer to send AT&T Park into a frenzy. 

San Francisco Bunts Its Way to Walk-Off Victory in Game 3 of NLCS

A sacrifice bunt pushed across the winning run in the Giants' 5-4 victory in Game 3 of the NLCS. After climbing back to tie the game, Cardinals reliever Randy Choate threw wide of first base on Gregor Blanco's attempted sacrifice.  

10: Matt Duffy Scores from Second Base on Wild Pitch to Tie Game 2 of NLCS

"When you come to the ballpark, you never know what you might see." 

Any baseball fan has heard this phrase before, used to describe the unpredictability of America's pastime. 

That quote is also applicable to the way that the San Francisco Giants tied up Game 2 of the NLCS. 

St. Louis Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal had worked himself into a jam in the ninth inning, while trying to lock down a victory that would even the series at 1-1.

With runners on first and second and two outs, Rosenthal bounced a 3-2 fastball well in front of the plate. Catcher Tony Cruz had no chance to block the pitch, as the ball bounced off his mitt all the way to the backstop.

Matt Duffy was moving on the 3-2 pitch.

Not once did he stop. 

The Giants pinch runner rounded third base with no hesitation, beating the throw to the plate to tie the game at 4-4. 

Busch Stadium fell silent, barely believing what they had just witnessed. The Cardinals went from one strike away to blowing the lead in a matter of seconds. 

Kolten Wong would ultimately bail out Rosenthal in the bottom half of the inning (see No. 4) but Duffy's incredible awareness produced legitimate shock value. 

The rarity of such a peculiar play in an important moment of the game makes Duffy's baserunning one of the more jaw-dropping moments of this postseason.

No. 9: Bryce Harper Sends Baseball into Orbit

The Washington Nationals failed to advance out of the NLDS for the second time in three years in the 2014 playoffs.

But their star outfielder Bryce Harper still managed to provide one of the more memorable moments of the postseason, crushing a mammoth bomb in Game 1 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants.

With a 3-0 lead in the late innings, flame-throwing reliever Hunter Strickland decided to challenge Harper with a 97 mph fastball.

The resulting blast was somehow moving faster on its way out, as Harper's 445-foot long ball would land in the upper deck of Nationals Park. 

Harper would continue to torment Strickland in this series, destroying another baseball to tie Game 4 in the seventh inning. This equally impressive homer would travel 425 feet, before landing in the bay at AT&T Park. 

Aside from Harper's production, the Nats lacked the necessary offensive firepower to overcome the Giants' tough pitching. 

But Harper's light-pole power was an important theme in the series. A young phenom hitting prodigious shots in the playoffs will always draw attention, hence his inclusion in these rankings. 

No. 8: Brandon Belt Puts Giants on Top in 18th Inning

Clutch hitting is always going to garner the headlines in the postseason. 

Brandon Belt's go-ahead homer in Game 2 of the NLDS is evidence of that. 

Especially when that long ball gives your team the lead in the 18th inning of the longest playoff game in MLB history (6:23).

When the Giants tied the game up in the top of the ninth inning, they had no idea that they were about to embark on another full game of extra innings before the game would be decided. 

Tanner Roark was the unfortunate victim of the crushing blast, after entering the game as the eighth reliever used by the Nationals throughout the course of the game. 

Roark missed on the inner half of the plate with a 94 mph fastball that Belt sent deep into the night to put the Giants in front. It was only the third hit in extra innings for SF. 

Needless to say, a go-ahead dinger in the longest postseason game in MLB history deserves a mention on this list. 

No. 7: Delmon Young Clear Bases with Go-Ahead Pinch-Hit Double

The Baltimore Orioles made short work of the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, sweeping the AL favorites in just three games. 

The key blow in the series came in Game 2.

The Tigers led 6-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, six outs away from leveling the series before returning to Detroit for Game 3. 

But for a club with such a woeful bullpen, the last six outs are often the hardest to get. 

Joba Chamberlain lacked command to start the inning, hitting Adam Jones and allowing a pair of singles to Nelson Cruz and Steve Pearce. 

With the score now 6-4, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus decided to turn to Joakim Soria to put out the fire.

After a walk to J.J. Hardy loaded the bases, Delmon Young grabbed a bat to pinch hit against his former team. 

Young was ready to swing as soon as he stepped in the box, lining a first-pitch breaking ball down the left field line. 

Cruz and Pearce scored easily, while Hardy just beat the tag to give the O's a 7-6 lead. 

Yet another implosion by the Tigers bullpen destroyed any possible momentum the club would have enjoyed in an even series. The magnitude of the moment in terms of how it impacted the series makes it a necessary part of this list. 

No. 6: Kolten Wong Goes Yard for Walk-off Win in Game 2 of NLCS

The MLB playoffs often showcase young, emerging stars.

In the 2014 edition, Kolten Wong has made the most of his time in the spotlight.

After being picked off to end Game 4 of the 2013 World Series, the Cardinals second baseman has found himself in the headlines for all the right reasons. Wong has posted a 1.148 OPS with three home runs and six RBI. 

His production has come in clutch moments, as well. 

After hitting a go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the NLDS, Wong lined a Sergio Romo fastball over the right field fence to send Busch Stadium into a wild celebration. 

The homer came on the heels of Trevor Rosenthal blowing a one-run lead in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch (see moment No. 10).

Wong wasted little time in the bottom of the inning in regaining the lead for good. His long ball capped off a great game with many twists and turns. 

This moment belongs on the list because it helped create a budding superstar in MLB. 

No. 5: The Royals Comeback to Win Wild Card Game

The Royals clinched a spot in the 2014 Fall Classic on Wednesday, but they were extremely close to missing out on the postseason all together.

The AL Wild Card Game gave the country its first glimpse at playoff baseball in 2014.

It didn't disappoint. 

After Brandon Moss hammered two home runs for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City erased a four-run deficit over the final two innings to force free baseball in front of a packed Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals used seven stolen bases in their comeback, combining their speed with timely hitting to tie the game at 7. 

The A's regained the lead again in the top of the 12th, but the Royals' heroics were not yet finished. 

The club scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to secure the unlikely walk-off victory. Salvador Perez was the hero, singling down the third-base line to win the game.

The Royals were playing in their first postseason game since 1985. A comeback victory in front of a crowd so determined to see October baseball made for an unforgettable atmosphere. 

The first game of the postseason was also the most exciting. The historic victory in such remarkable fashion set the tone for what has been dramatic playoff baseball. 

No. 4: Cardinals Shock Clayton Kershaw, Part I

When Clayton Kershaw is staked to a 6-1 lead, the impending result of the game is normally a forgone conclusion. 

But Matt Carpenter spearheaded an unfathomable Cardinals rally to give the Red Birds the lead in Game 1 of the NLDS. 

Adam Wainwright struggled in what was supposed to be a pitching duel, allowing six runs on 11 hits while lasting only four innings. 

Kershaw on the other hand mowed down St. Louis hitters, despite the hiccup of a Carpenter home run in the sixth inning that cut the lead to 6-2. The homer ended a span of 14 consecutive batters that had been retired by the Dodgers ace. 

The seventh inning was a much different story. 

Kershaw allowed four singles to begin the inning. After a Jon Jay RBI single pushed the lead to 6-4, the scorching-hot Carpenter stepped into the box with a chance to tie the game. 

The Cardinals leadoff man, who had hit Kershaw hard throughout his career, connected for a bases-clearing three-run double to give his team the lead. 

The unbreakable Kershaw ended up surrendering eight runs and losing a game for the first time in his career when given a six-run lead.

The complete shock of this moment is enough to make it one of the most unforgettable moments of the postseason. But the Cards were not done with Kershaw just yet (see No. 3).

No. 3: Cardinals Shock Clayton Kershaw, Part II

Game 4 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and the Dodgers was oozing with storylines.

Clayton Kershaw was taking the ball on three days rest, attempting to redeem himself after blowing a big lead in Game 1. 

Similar to Game 1, the Dodgers ace seemed to be cruising to victory after striking out nine and allowing only one hit through six scoreless innings. 

With a 2-0 lead, manager Don Mattingly once again chose to stick with his starter instead of relying on an inconsistent bullpen. 

Two weakly hit singles to start the seventh inning set the stage for Matt Adams to deliver more postseason heartbreak to Kershaw and the Dodgers. 

Adams deposited a hanging breaking ball into the right field seats for what would turn out to be a game-winning three-run bomb. 

Two things to notice in the video: 

1. Kershaw's immediate reaction upon contact is tough to watch. He knows exactly where the ball is going to end up.

2. Adams' ecstatic reaction shows how unlikely this moment was. A lefty-on-lefty matchup against the best pitcher in the MLB normally would end with Kershaw getting the better of the hitter.

Unless it's the Cardinals, for which Kershaw has no answer.

After one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in MLB history, Kershaw unbelievably blew not one, but two leads in a three-day span. Combine that with the importance of an elimination-game homer, and you have one of the most surreal moments of the 2014 postseason. 

No. 2: The Giants Win the Pennant!

The San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals competed in a fantastic NLCS. 

Every game went down to the wire, with the Giants finding a way to build a 3-1 lead in the series.

Game 5 saw more back-and-forth action, with both Madison Bumgarner and Adam Wainwright producing gritty pitching performances. 

After a Michael Morse homer tied the game at three in the bottom of the eighth, the Giants were able to dodge a bases-loaded bullet in the top of the ninth.

Mike Matheny finally decided to use Michael Wacha, who had been left out of the postseason starting rotation due to an injury in the regular season. 

With runners on first and second and one out, Wacha made a mistake on the inner half of the plate.

Travis Ishikawa made him pay. 

The journeyman, who had been released by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the season, had earned playing time down the stretch with good work at the plate. 

Before his ninth-inning homer to win the NLCS, Ishikawa had never hit a walk-off home run in his career.

Talk about an unlikely hero. 

Joe Buck provided the perfect quote with "the Giants win the pennant," paying homage to the classic call of Russ Hodges in 1951. 

Let's be honest. If you hit a walk-off homer to win the pennant, it is going to create an unforgettable moment. 

Travis Ishikawa's moment belongs on this list. 

No. 1: The Kansas City Royals Clinch American League Pennant

When compiling this list, one moment stuck out as the most unforgettable moment of the 2014 MLB Postseason.

The Kansas City Royals have captured the hearts of sports fans across the country with their underdog mentality and exciting style of play. 

For 29 years, baseball fans in Kansas City have been reduced to only a handful of winning seasons in the span of a three-decade-long playoff draught.

But 2014 has proven that good things are worth the wait.

The Royals became the first team in MLB history to win their first eight games to start the postseason. They have done so behind sturdy starting pitching, a pesky offensive approach, aggressive baserunning and a dominant bullpen. 

This moment tops the list because of its importance in baseball history.

The Royals were a staple of the postseason during the 1970s and 1980s. Clinching a World Series berth in front of a raucous home crowd evoked some of the most genuine emotion you will ever see in sports. 

Kansas City will be an underdog in the World Series, but their postseason run has shown that it just may be their year.