Fielder wins Home Run Derby

ST. LOUIS – Prince Fielder's approach at the plate is perfect for the Home Run Derby.

"I'm not quite sure about my mechanics. I just know I have to swing hard," Fielder said. "In high school, a lot of people told me to swing easier and everything, but I just don't know how to do that."

He sure knows how to hit.

With hometown sluggers Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard eliminated early, Fielder won the derby Monday night with a steady power display that included a jaw-dropping drive estimated at 503 feet.

The Milwaukee Brewers' first baseman topped Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz 6-5 in the finals at Busch Stadium to take home a title that St. Louis fans hoped would go to one of their own.

"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 the Gateway City and plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, were knocked out in the second round.

"I wish I would have put on a better show for our fans," Pujols said. "I was nervous a little bit."

This year's All-Star festivities were supposed to belong to Pujols in his home ballpark. But Fielder snatched the spotlight in baseball's annual warmup for Tuesday night's Midsummer Classic.

With three outs remaining in the final round, Fielder smacked a drive onto 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.

Fielder started out using a bat that belonged to injured Milwaukee teammate Rickie Weeks, then switched to Braun's stick.

"It was a little longer," Fielder said. "Once I grabbed his bat, it felt pretty good."

Fielder, the son of former big league slugger Cecil Fielder, became the youngest player to hit 50 homers in 2007 at age 23. But that season, he was eliminated in the first round of the Home Run Derby at San Francisco.

"I knew what to expect this time so I was a little more relaxed," he said. "I think it's very competitive. I don't think (any) of the guys would be here if they weren't. But it's fun at the same time."

Fielder and Cruz both made their major league debuts in 2005 with the Brewers — and each has 22 home runs this year. Cruz, enjoying a breakout season, was a late addition to the All-Star roster because of an injury to Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter

Fielder finished with 23 home runs, most in the contest, and hit the four longest shots of the night.

"He had a very nice rhythm," said batting practice pitcher Sandy Guerrero, Fielder's minor league batting coach. "He kept his cool, he relaxed."

Pujols, who leads the majors with 32 homers, needed a late rally just to avoid elimination in the first round. With one out to work with, he connected on consecutive swings to force a three-player swing-off for the final spot in round 2, sending the red-clad crowd of 45,981 into a high-fiving frenzy.

One fan in the bleachers lent a helping hand, too, appearing to reach over the right-center fence to catch one of Pujols' homers. During a game it might have been ruled fan interference, but there's no video replay in the derby.

Carlos Pena hit one homer in the five-swing tiebreaker and Joe Mauer was shut out. So when Pujols homered twice he moved on — but not for long.

Looking fatigued, he managed six homers next time up for a two-round total of 11, easily surpassed by Fielder, Cruz and Howard, the 2006 derby champ.

"I didn't feel any pressure. I mean, I think the only pressure you feel in a Home Run Derby is that you just want to try and get at least one," said Howard, who picked an old favorite for his batting-practice pitcher. "It was a lot of fun for me to have my summer ball coach (Deron Spink) out there because it was a special experience for him. It meant more to me to have him out there than just about anything else."

Fielder's longest shot was a 503-foot drive to right-center that disappeared between two sections of bleachers.

"I'm just happy. It was pretty cool to actually win one," he said.

During the first round, Cruz hit a drive into the fourth deck in left field, never accomplished during a game at 4-year-old Busch Stadium.

Brandon Inge, Adrian Gonzalez, Pena and Mauer were knocked out in the first round. Inge became the eighth contestant to get shut out since the current format was adopted in 1996.

Detroit Tigers

Once again in the majors with the Detroit Tigers, Fielder, with his 51-homer, 132 RBI year in 1990, became one of the biggest stories of the season - and perhaps the biggest bargain in the sport (he earned $1.25 million). On the last day of the Tigers' season at Yankee Stadium, Fielder hit his 50th and 51st home runs to become the 11th player in ML history - and only the second in the previous 25 years - to reach the 50-HR plateau. No Detroit Tigers player had turned the mark since Hank Greenberg slugged 58 in 1938. Fielder, whose previous high mark was 14 with Toronto in 1987, provided a sudden and unexpected emergence as a legitimate slugger.

During the 1990s, Fielder built a reputation for clutch hitting and power, though the Tigers continued to be no better than mediocre. His new fans nicknamed him "Big Daddy" for his big smile, peaceful temperament, and prodigious home runs (as well as his massive physical stature).

In his six-year tenure with Detroit, Fielder had four consecutive 30-homer and 100-RBI seasons, and if the 1994 season had not been strike-shortened he almost certainly would have had another (he had 28 HRs and 90 RBI in 109 games that year). He became the only Tiger ever to hit at least 25 homers in six consecutive seasons. No player in Detroit history had hit as many over a six-year period (219), and no major league player had more home runs between 1990-95. In 1990, Fielder became the fourth American League player to have two 3-home run games in a season. Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken, Jr. narrowly edged him for the AL's MVP Award in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

Fielder was a member of the All-Star Team in 1990, 1991, and 1993. Fielder was named "Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the BBWAA in 1990, 1991, and 1992. He is the only player to receive the award three consecutive years.

Fielder's massive power was exemplified by two long blasts:

· He was one of only four players, and the only Tiger, to homer over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium (the other three are Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard and Mark McGwire). He hit the homer off Oakland Athletic Dave Stewart on August 25, 1990.

· He also hit the only home run ever hit completely out of Milwaukee County Stadium—during either the Braves' Milwaukee history (1953-1965) or Brewers' park history (1970-2000). It was hit off the Brewers' Dan Plesac on September 14, 1991.

Cecil Fielder

Cecil Grant Fielder (pronounced /ˈsɛsəl/) (born September 21, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional baseball player of African-American and Dominican Descent who was a noted power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1985–88), Detroit Tigers (1990–96), New York Yankees (1996–97), Anaheim Angels and Cleveland Indians (both in 1998). In 1990, he became the first player to reach the 50-home run mark since George Foster hit 52 for the Cincinnati Reds in 1977. He is the father of Milwaukee Brewers power hitting first baseman Prince Fielder, who in 2007 reached the 50-home run mark as his father had done, and also won the 2009 Homerun Derby.