Yoenis Cespedes Becomes First Non-All-Star To Win Home Run Derby

An "impressed crowd" of 43,558 attended last night's MLB Home Run Derby at Citi Field, where A's LF Yoenis Cespedes defeated Nationals CF Bryce Harper 9-8 in the final round. Cespedes' power display, which featured a total of 32 home runs, "elicited oohs and aahs in the first round" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 7/15). Cespedes, a "wild card" pick, "is the first player to win the Derby who was not chosen as an All-Star" (N.Y. POST, 7/16).

Harper sported special Under Armour cleats during the contest that were "a metallic kaleidoscope on his feet, replete with a subtle outline of the New York skyline" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/16).

Meanwhile, service on the No. 7 train resumed last night “after a small subway track fire stranded baseball fans leaving Citi Field.” The fire started just before the Home Run Derby “ended at a packed Citi Field, where the No. 7 train is the main subway line to and from the ballpark” (NEWSDAY, 7/16). NEWSDAY’s Neil Best writes of his experience leaving the ballpark.