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As 2014 winds to a close, TSN.ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best baseball moments from the past 12 months including Jeters farewell, a Blue Jay marathon, Bryce Harper going heads-up against Hunter Strickland and more! Derek Jeter leaves the game in style By Ryan Horne Derek Jeter will always be known for having a flair for the dramatic, but what he did in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium was truly remarkable. Heading into the top of the ninth inning, in Jeter’s last home game in his illustrious 20-year career, the Yankees were leading the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 5-2. It may not be a storybook ending, but at least Jeter and the Yankees would get a win, right? Wrong. Closer David Robertson proceeded to give up a two-run homer to Adam Jones and a solo shot to Steve Pearce, all with two outs, to tie the contest heading into the bottom half of the inning. Cue Jeter. With one out, Jeter walked to the batters box for the final time at Yankee Stadium with thousands of flashbulbs and cell phone cameras going off simultaneously. “The Captain” lined the first pitch he saw to right fight and scored pinch-runner Antoan Richardson to win the game and send the crowd into a state of bedlam. Sort of an out-of-body experience, Jeter said after the game. Even if you never rooted for Jeter - or the Yankees - that moment is one any sports fan would appreciated to its highest degree. -- The Greatest Finish We will Never See By Shane McNeil The Giants’ 2014 World Series title will be largely remembered for Madison Bumgarner being nearly unhittable in three appearances. But here’s the rub: The one hit he did allow could have cost the Giants the series or at least forced extras in Game 7. Bumgarner had retired 14 straight before Alex Gordon stepped up with two outs in the ninth. He solved Bumgarner with a soft liner to left-centre. The ball bounces past Gregor Blanco giving Gordon an extra base before Juan Perez boots the pick-up. Gordon hustled his way to third, but by time he gets to the bag, the relay is already on its way into the infield and any thought of coming in to score is quelled when he’s held up at third. Now, I’m not for a second suggesting Gordon should have been waved home. He wasn’t gunning it the entire way and if the relay from shallow left were anywhere close to on-line he’d have been out by a substantial margin. But isn’t that a play you’d love to have seen unfold to potentially decide a Championship? -- Clayton Kershaw is Unhittable By Jed Bick Clayton Kershaw had a year to remember. He won his third Cy Young Award unanimously, was named the National League MVP and was the first pitcher in MLB history to win four-straight ERA titles. But the apex of his astonishing season came on June 18 when he no-hit the Colorado Rockies. If not for a Hanley Ramirez error, the game in fact would have been perfect. Kershaw did not allow a walk and struck out 15, the first time this feat was accomplished in the history of the MLB. This was probably also the only time watching an accomplishment such as this was a superior experience on television. Kershaw might have thrown a no-hitter, but Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully delivered a perfect broadcast. After the final pitch was thrown and the no-hitter was secured, Scully said, “He’s done it”, then let the crowd take over as the players stormed on to the field. It was not until about half a minute later that Scully began to sum up the situation. The whole call was at a normal tone, he did not go ballistic like some other homer broadcasters would. It was like any other game, which made the experience that much more pleasurable in a way only Scully could produce. Or maybe Scully knew that for someone as magnificent as Kershaw, a no-hitter is basically “any other game”. -- The Jays and Tigers Play a Marathon By Mike Beauvais Baseball commentators like to joke about extra-innings games, calling them “free baseball” for fans. It’s highly doubtful that players view them in that manner. The Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers had one of those games on Sunday, August 10. The match-up appeared to be going the Tigers’ way. With newly-acquired starter David Price on the hill, the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings and were cruising, but the Jays would chip away. Dioner Navarro hit a two-run home run in the sixth to make it 5-2. The following inning, the Jays pulled within one at 5-4. Then, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Reyes would single again to score Anthony Gose to deadlock the game at 5-5…where it would stay for 10 more innings. When it was all said and done, both teams had used eight pitchers each. The Jays used 22 players of their 25-man roster. The teams were beyond gassed. After 19 innings and six hours and 37 minutes, the Jays would claim a 6-5 victory when Jose Bautista singled off of Rick Porcello to score Munenori Kawasaki and mercifully end matters. It was the longest game in Toronto Blue Jays history. It was only one game over the course of 162, but on that hot afternoon in Toronto, the Blue Jays and Tigers waged a war of attrition that drowned out the outside world. Standings and pennant races be damned, the game was only about the here and now and the two teams standing – just barely by that point – on the field. -- Bryce Harper can Clearly Hit Hunter Strickland’s Heater By Shane McNeil Let’s start this out with the fact that Bryce Harper is kind of a punk. A lot of people have problems with his attitude, swagger or whatever it is you want to call it. I have gone on the record before with the fact that I clearly do not. That said, he is possibly the most exciting player in baseball and proved it during the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants. Giants fireballer Hunter Strickland earned some Game 1 kudos for escaping a bases-loaded jam by whiffing Ian Desmond on four pitches, the last three (strikes, all) hitting 98, 99 and 100 mph on the gun. Problem is: Bryce Harper can hit a fastball. Leading off the very next inning, Harper hit a bomb that justified the very existence of vines. The kind of shot that you would believe just never came down. Strickland, though, took exception and stared Harper down as he took his victory lap around the bases. So, what was Strickland’s response? Serving up another one in Game 4; an AT&T splash landing to tie the game. Harper watched the bomb. Then he watched Strickland. Then he chirped Strickland some more from the dugout. He may not be classy, but good lord is Bryce Harper a lot of fun. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys China . Cox started the season with San Francisco, but was released by the team on Nov. 12 before being signed by Seattle, where he appeared in two games and tallied three tackles before being released on Dec. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . The Maple Leafs will play on the road for the first time this season after dropping home contests to Montreal and Pittsburgh to begin the campaign. After losing a one-goal decision to the Canadiens on Wednesday, they were bested 5-2 on Saturday by the Penguins. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.com/ . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Store . Ramon, 30, played in a career-high 97 games with the Goldeyes in 2013. He also matched a career-high eight home runs and posted 52 RBI. Custom Nike Chicago Cubs Jerseys .? It was his second straight start for the Jets; he suffered a 1-0 loss against Minnesota Monday. So this season Hutchinson has now won games in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was perfect three- for-three in the shootout to nail down the win. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Lee Westwood ended a two-year winless drought with a seven-shot victory at the Malaysian Open on Sunday. After a four-hour delay due to the threat of lightning in the middle of the final round, Westwood went on to shoot a 4-under par 68 to complete an 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Country Club course for his 36th career victory. Westwood led from start to finish in the co-sanctioned European and Asian Tour event that he also won in 1997. "Its a golf course that suits my game; its very tight in certain areas. I played well, I putted well, and the short game is good," Westwood said. South Africas Louis Oosthuizen (68), the 2012 champion, along with Belgiums Nicolas Colsaerts (70) and Austrias Bernd Wiesberger (67) shared a distant second place on 11 under. The win will not only improve Westwoods ranking but also help him improve on his current 20th place in the European Ryder Cup standings.dddddddddddd "I feel like Ive got a short game back and Im starting to roll a few putts in," he added. "It makes a helluva difference if you can get up-and-down if you miss a few greens as it keeps the momentum going." Westwood, who turns 41 next week, went into the final round leading by one having let slip a four-shot second round lead. But the 36th-ranked Englishman, and highest ranked player in the field, again found himself four clear after only two holes where nearest rival and playing partner Andy Sullivan triple-bogeyed the second hole after finding water with his tee shot. Westwoods drive to victory was then halted mid-afternoon when the threat of lightning stopped play and his lead at four through 11 holes. He returned to the course after a delay of four hours and 13 minutes to birdie the 13th for a six-shot lead. Westwood then underlined his class with a birdie on the last. ' ' '