Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena was knocked out early in the 2009 Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, but Prince Fielder was a king among men in the annual slugfest.
With home big-hitters Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard eliminated early, Fielder won baseball's slugging crown on Monday night in relative comfort - and hit one huge drive estimated to have been 503ft.
The Milwaukee Brewers' first baseman outslugged Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz 6-5 in the final before acknowledging how the home fans must have felt seeing their hometown heroes miss out.
"It's what I expected. This is Albert's stadium and Ryan is from here," Fielder said. "I was just happy I was able to put on a show, and I'm glad I won."
Pujols, the Cardinals' big first baseman, and Howard, who grew up in St. Louis, were knocked out in the second round.
With three outs remaining in the final round, Fielder smacked a drive on to the grassy hill in center field to clinch the crown. He posed for a moment with his bat held high, then embraced Brewers teammate Ryan Braun near home plate.
Pena, Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Pujols each hit five home runs in the first round. In a five-swing tiebreaker, Pena hit one homer and Mauer was shut out and Pujols homered twice to move on.
None of the participants were able to match Josh Hamilton's performance last year at Yankee Stadium, where he hit a record 28 homers in the first round — including 13 on the bounce.
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