Royals magic vs. Bumgarner being Bumgarner: Cut4's top 10 moments of the 2014 World Series

It has been four days since the World Series ended and the Giants were anointed champions of yet another even-year season, yet we miss it already -- don't you? 

The hard-fought series was packed with just about as much baseball as you can fit into a seven-game series, but in honor of reliving the glorious past (no matter how recent), we hand-picked the top ten moments of the 2014 World Series.

From tongue-wagging to magical innings, it truly was a Cut4-riffic World Series.  

Brandon Finnegan goes from the College World Series to the Fall Classic (Game 3)

It's not every day you see a 21-year-old fresh out of the College World Series pitch in the World Series. In fact, it was never any day you saw that -- until Game 3 of the 2014 World Series, when Brandon Finnegan took the mound for the Royals in relief, becoming the first person to play in the College World Series and the World Series in the same year.

Hunter Pence unfurls his tongue (Game 3)

"The Tongue Catch," as some (fine -- we) are calling it, is a prime example of a moment when baseball becomes art. Pence routinely turns facial expressions into masterpieces of the human experience, and his stretching catch in Game 3 might just be the apex.

Jarrod Dyson digs deep (Game 4)

Some catches, like The Tongue Catch, are memorable because they are oddities. Some catches, like Dyson's in Game 4, are memorable because they stretch the limits of physical possibility. Not only did Dyson have to sprint (zoom) to the ball, but then he laid out, digging into the dirt and sending the AT&T Park grass flying. To top it all off, he made the throw to second sitting. We're not sure if there's another human being on the planet who could've made that play.  

Jason Vargas takes a walk (Game 4)

Vargas' not-quite-a-walk is a highlight not because it is a feat of great skill, but because it reminds us that baseball players -- even those in the Fall Classic -- are not infallible human beings. They are prone to slips of mind just like the rest of us. And kudos to Vargas for handling it with such humor and grace. While watching baseball played at its highest level, it is refreshing to be reminded that these players are, in fact, people. For that, Vargas is a hero.

Yusmeiro Petit is (and gets) a hit (Game 4)

Not only was Petit lights out on the mound in the postseason for the Giants, but he also pitched in with his bat, becoming the first relief pitcher to get a hit in a World Series game since 1993.

Bumgarner's gonna Bumgarner (Game 5)

It was one of the best World Series pitching performances ever. That's all there really is to say.

Royals' have a magical second inning during Game 6 

We're still not convinced that the Royals didn't use some sort of magic during the second inning of Game 6. From turning Petit mortal to transfixing Brandon Belt and spinning him around, and of course Eric Hosmer's time-stopped do-over double, the Royals defied logic on their way to scoring seven runs.

Joe Panik sacrifices his belt (Game 7)

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more significant defensive play from this postseason. Panik's double play erased two baserunners and preserved a 2-2 tie, which the Giants would eventually break. The beauty of a glove flip cost the rookie his belt, but we're pretty sure it's a trade he'd make again.

Madison Bumgarner enters the fray (Game 7)

Watch this video and replace "Hercules" with "Bumgarner." That just about sums up Game 7 -- you could tell that Giants and Royals fans alike knew that if Bumgarner came in at some point in Game 7 while the Giants held a lead, it was all over.

As it turned out, this is one prophecy that came true.

How close the Royals came at the very end (Game 7)

The most exciting second-to-last play of a World Series in recent memory. How many hearts stopped and then restarted going a million beats a minute after Gordon's hit to the outfield was bobbled and he booked it to third?

Believe what you want about Gordon's chances of making it home if the Royals sent him, but you can't deny this was one heck of a way to go out. 

Update: Article originally stated that Dyson sent the Kauffman Stadium grass flying in Game 4, but Game 4 was played in San Francisco, so he sent the AT&T Park grass flying.