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 In the prelude to Tuesday's All Star game, Cuban Cespedes came
out top as baseball's best long-ball hitters put on a display of
strength, hand-eye coordination and timing after an hour-long rain
delay at Target Field.
Only Seattle's Ken Griffey Junior (1998-99) had previously won
back-to-back titles in the contest, which has kicked off the All
Star festivities since the mid 1980s.
This year's event showcased a new format with five players each from
the American and National Leagues competing in the opening round and
competitors advancing to head-to-head matchups within their
respective league until the final. Cespedes narrowly escaped the
first round after he needed a tiebreaker swing-off to beat Oakland
team mate Josh Donaldson.
 From there, he caught fire as he smashed seven home runs to
eliminate Toronto's Jose Bautista and advance to the final, where he
added nine more blasts to overpower Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati
Reds.
Bautista was the star of the first round where he powered 10 home
runs.
This year's exhibition included some fresh faces, including Los
Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Miami's young standout,
Giancarlo Stanton, who was one of the favorites coming into the
showcase.
Stanton reached the semi-final round but lost his form and was
defeated by Frazier 1-0.
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Puig, the flashy 23-year-old Cuban, could not deliver his usual
excitement and failed to record a home run as he made a first-round
exit.
Colorado's Justin Morneau was also cast off in the opening round,
but not before he received a rousing round of applause from the fans
in Minnesota, where he played from 2003 to 2013.
Earlier in the day, All Star Game managers Mike Matheny (National
League) and John Farrell (American League) named their starting
lineups for the game.
Seattle's Felix Hernandez and St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright were
named as starting pitchers.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
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