Festivities, 'HDH' bobbleheads headline big 2014 KC Royals weekend celebration

In some ways, it feels like a lifetime has passed since the KC Royals made their first postseason appearance in nearly three decades, riding a walk-off Wild Card Game win for the ages to Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, where they were ultimately denied the title by San Francisco and Madison Bumgarner, the pitcher who to this day remains "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" to many Royals fans.

Along the way, the Royals won eight American League playoff games in a row, sweeping the top-seeded Angels and the favored Orioles with exciting speed, defense, and one of the most dominant bullpens in major league history. The team started slowly and looked destined to fall well short of high expectations before turning it on in the season's second half and rising far higher than many dared dream. The Royals won the World Series a year later, but many fans still consider their surprise 2014 run as more fun.

The KC Royals are celebrating the 2014 AL champs this weekend

To mark the 10th anniversary of their pennant victory, the Royals have these exciting festivities planned for this weekend, including an on-field reunion of players before Friday night's game and a Thursday evening dinner at Union Station with proceeds earmarked for the Kansas City Royals Foundation.

And don't forget the bobbleheads.

The 2014 Royals had the best back-end of any bullpen in the majors — no club's came close to the "HDH" trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland, a three-headed monster that changed the way teams build bullpens. To pay tribute to them, the Royals are giving away bobbleheads at every game against the A's this weekend — Herrera's Friday night, Davis' Saturday night, and Holland's Sunday. But the bobbleheads, which interlock to form a single awesome display, are only available to the first 15,000 fans through the gate each game.

And just in case you need a reminder of how good those pitchers were, or weren't around to see them in action, here's who they were and what HDH did.