Cespedes wins Home Run Derby

NEW YORK - The Home Run Derby champion didn’t even make the All-Star team.

Yoenis Cespedes won baseball’s power-hitting competition with a dazzling display Monday night, becoming the first player left out of the All-Star game to take home the crown. The Oakland Athletics slugger beat Bryce Harper 9-8 in the final round at reconfigured Citi Field, hitting the decisive drive with five swings to spare.

“You come for a show in New York. He put on a show,” said Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, set to start for the AL on Tuesday night.

Right off the bat, he proved he belonged. With family in the stands, Cespedes hit a whopping 17 home runs in the first round, which was more than any other player managed in their first two trips to the plate.

“I felt that I was getting into a very good rhythm, and that as long as the ball was right over the plate, I felt like I was in a good groove,” Cespedes said through a translator. “That was the key.”

AP