Top matches of 2014 - 8) Kansas City v Oakland

Oakland's Jonny Gomes and Sam Fuld collide as they fail to catch a fly ball in the wildcard game. Photo / Getty

The Herald counts down the greatest sporting encounters of the year.

One of the most dramatic games of 2014 was also one that most Kiwis wouldn't have watched, cared about or, perhaps, even knew was played.

But the American League Wild Card encounter between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics was also the most exciting baseball game this observer has seen in a decade following the sport.

It had a compelling narrative: a winner-take-all battle between the darling Royals, in their first postseason appearance since 1985, and the upstart As, attempting once again to prove Moneyball could work in the playoffs.

It had early intrigue, as what looked like a pitching duel between two of the sport's best starting pitchers, James Shields and Jon Lester, became anything but.

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And it had a fitting finale that propelled the Royals to the World Series in heart-stopping fashion.

Kansas City and Oakland came into the clash as duel underdogs, small market teams without an MLB title in 25 years. A win would be rewarded with a series against the star-studded Los Angeles Angels; a loss would see the season end.

Both Shields and Lester gave up runs in the first inning and the Royals held a 3-2 lead heading into the fifth. But the home side then appeared to be dealt a terminal blow when Oakland's Brandon Moss homered for the second time as part of a five-run inning.

The As took their 7-3 lead to the eighth but, down to their final six outs, the Royals mounted an improbable comeback. They scored three times off the Oakland bullpen to pull within one before, in the bottom of the ninth, Nori Aoki's sacrifice fly sent the game into extra innings.

With destiny seemingly on the Royals' side, Oakland again looked to play party poopers, scoring the go-ahead run in the 12th. But Eric Hosmer tied the game after a triple and, with two outs, catcher Salvador Perez came through in the clutch with a walk-off single.

The Royals went on to lose to the Giants in the decisive seventh game of the World Series, with the comeback kids falling into one hole too many.

Top matches of 2014:

10 - Djokovic v Federer
9 - Chiefs v Bulls/Cheetahs