>>Reds' Frazier Wins Home Run Derby In Home Park
Hometown favorite Todd Frazier of the Reds set off the fireworks at Great American Ball Park, hitting 15 home runs in the final round to win Monday night's new-look Home Run Derby.
Frazier, who finished runner-up to Yoenis Cespedes last year, defeated Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson 15-14.
Pederson hit the longest home run (487 feet) of the entire competition earlier in the evening and amassed 14 home runs in his final round, setting the stage for Frazier.
Following a slow start, Frazier caught fire and just missed a go-ahead 15th home run as his regulation time expired. Frazier won on the first pitch of the newly implemented "bonus time" period.
Frazier, who hit 39 home r
uns Monday, became only the second player to win the long-ball competition on his home field. Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg did it at Wrigley Field in 1990.
Frazier beat two-time Home Run Derby champion Prince Fielder of the Rangers in the first round, hitting 14 home runs to top his 13. He won in walk-off fashion again in the second round, belting 10 home runs to beat Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Pederson snuck past Orioles third baseman Manny Machado by a 13-12 margin in the first round, then beat Angels star Albert Pujols 12-11 to reach the final round. Pujols was the No. 1 seed in the eight-player bracket.
Major League Baseball made some last-minute tweaks to the single-elimination tournament due to severe storms expected late Monday.
Players had four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, down from five, and the clock did not stop for homers hit during the final minute of each turn.
If a batter hit at least two home runs of 425 feet or longer, an extra 30- second period of time was tacked on.
In the first round, Donaldson got past Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo 9-8 and Pujols beat Cubs rookie Kris Bryant 10-9.
The new format produced 159 homers, compared to 78 from 2014.
>>Greinke, Keuchel Named Starters For All-Star Game
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke and Houston Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel have been selected as the starting pitchers for Tuesday's All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park.
National League manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants and American League skipper Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals made the announcements at a Monday news conference, also laying out the starting lineups for each team.
Greinke has the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.39 and owns a record of 8-2 in 18 starts. He has not allowed a run in five straight outings, covering 35 2/3 innings.
The 31-year-old right-hander will be the first Dodgers pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Brad Penny in 2006.
Keuchel is 11-4 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 starts this season. He is tied for the AL lead in wins and is tied for second in the league with three complete games and two shutouts.
Keuchel is the first Astros starting pitcher in the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens opened the 2004 contest when Houston was part of the National League.
>>All Star Game Rosters Set
The lineup for the National League will open with Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen, followed by Cincinnati third baseman Todd Frazier and Washington right fielder Bryce Harper.
Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt will bat fourth and play first base, with Giants catcher Buster Posey batting fifth and Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs serving as the NL's designated hitter. St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta will bat seventh, followed by Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson in left field and Colorado second baseman D.J. LeMahieu, who is replacing the injured Dee Gordon of Miami.
The American League lineup will start with Angels superstar Mike Trout in center field and Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, who received the most votes in fan balloting. Angels slugger Albert Pujols will bat third and play first base with Seattle's Nelson Cruz hitting cleanup as the designated hitter.
Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain will bat fifth and play right field, followed by Baltimore's Adam Jones in left field, Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez, Houston second baseman Jose Altuve and Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.
The American League has won the All-Star Game each of the last two years, but the National League still owns a record of 43-40-2 in the all-time series.
