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NEW YORK -- The Home Run Derby champion didnt even make the All-Star team. Yoenis Cespedes won baseballs 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. In his second major league season, the outfielder from Cuba flipped his bat aside and raised his left arm in triumph when he sent his 32nd homer of the night some 455 feet to centre field, where it caromed off the back wall of the black batters eye. He was swarmed by the American League All-Stars near the third base line. "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. The final addition to the field, Cespedes was the fourth player not selected for the All-Star game to compete in the event. Right off the bat, he proved he belonged. With family in the stands, Cespedes hit a whopping 17 home runs in the first round — 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." His first-round outburst was enough to send him straight into the finals, though he added six long balls in round two for good measure. Some of his drives were particularly impressive, too. Cespedes hit about a half-dozen balls into the upper deck in left, never reached by anyone in a game, and banged another couple of shots off the restaurant windows in the corner just below. The 27-year-old Cespedes has struggled as a sophomore, batting only .225 with 15 home runs, but hardly anyone in the game doubts his ability. "This trophy will motivate me so that things continue to go well for me, and I just want to thank the people that believed in me, that thought I could play at this level," he said. The 20-year-old Harper, wearing shiny gold spikes as his father pitched to him, hammered eight homers in all three rounds. But the Washington Nationals phenom couldnt keep up with Cespedes. "Hes incredible," Harper said. "Hes an absolute machine." Colorado outfielder Michael Cuddyer and Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis, who leads the majors with 37 homers, were eliminated in the second round. Davis tied Reggie Jackson (1969) for the AL record before the All-Star break. "I had a little blister come up second round. Its just one of those things," Davis said. "I usually get one once a year and it just happened to be tonight. It actually popped during a swing. My main concern is obviously not to hurt myself and to hang onto the bat. "Its something that Ive dealt with in my career since I can remember. Youve just got to kind of wear it for a couple of days and then it hardens up and youre good to go." Citi Field opened in 2009 with cavernous dimensions and yielded the fewest home runs in the majors over its first three seasons, according to STATS. But the Mets erected a new fence in front of the old one, dubbed the Great Wall of Flushing, before last season, shaving dimensions by up to 12 feet and lowering the height of the wall from as high as 16 feet to 8 all around. Since then, the ballpark has ranked closer to the middle of the pack in home runs, 18th out of 30, but its still no hitters haven. In fact, hometown favourite David Wright had joked he would take his Derby swings from second base. "This stadium may be very difficult, but its not as difficult as Oakland. And if I can do it in Oakland, I thought, why cant I do it here?" Cespedes said. Baseballs big boppers took aim at two trucks parked beside the home run apple behind the centre-field fence, a popular staple at Mets games dating to their days in Shea Stadium. Cespedes dinged the hood on one, bringing a rousing cheer. Cuban reliever Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds brought Cespedes water and a towel during the first round, and 2010 champion David Ortiz strolled over to offer encouragement and advice. The Rockettes danced atop the dugouts and did their famous kickline between first-round batters. "Its far different from in Cuba," Cespedes said. "There might be two people at our games. Theres only one photographer, and this is completely different and foreign to me. But Im very happy to be here." Wright and another hometown darling, Pirates slugger Pedro Alvarez, were both eliminated in the first round. Alvarez went to high school in New York City and grew up in the same Manhattan neighbourhood as Manny Ramirez. Also knocked out early were defending champion Prince Fielder, the only player besides Ken Griffey Jr. to win multiple crowns, and American League captain Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees, who made Cespedes his final pick. Cano, the 2011 champion, was booed relentlessly in Kansas City last year after he didnt tab Royals slugger Billy Butler to participate, and the Kansas City crowd was delighted when Cano went without a home run. He connected on his third swing this time but finished last with only four. Wright, booed in Pittsburgh last weekend for initially passing on Alvarez, hit five home runs as the sellout crowd of 43,558 chanted "Lets Go Mets!" "I ran out of gas," Wright said. Alvarez was added when Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez pulled out with a sprained middle finger. Gonzalez remains in the National League starting lineup for Tuesday nights game, though. NOTES: Cespedes home run total matched Ortiz (2010) and Cano (2011) for the third-highest behind Bobby Abreu (41 in 2005) and Josh Hamilton (35 in 2008). ... Davis was credited with the longest drive of the night at 502 feet. ... Oakland third base coach Mike Gallego pitched to Cespedes, who averaged 405 feet on his home runs. He became the first As player to participate in the Derby since Jason Giambi in 2001 and joined Mark McGwire (1992) as the teams only winners. "Before I left, they asked me to bring home the trophy," Cespedes said. ... The American League topped the NL 53-50. ... Cano showed up at the afternoon news conference in a snappy suit. Harper was in a T-shirt, mesh shorts, sneakers and his spiky mohawk. At least he was dressed in blue and orange, Mets colours. ... By hitting 103 home runs in all, the sluggers raised $529,000 for charity. FinalAL: Yoenis Cespedes (OAK) - 9NL: Bryce Harper (WAS) - 8 Second RoundAL: Yoenis Cespedes (OAK) - 6 -- TOTAL 23NL: Bryce Harper (WAS) - 8 -- TOTAL 16 NL: Michael Cuddyer (COL) - 8 -- TOTAL 15AL: Chris Davis (BAL) - 4 -- TOTAL 12 First RoundAL: Yoenis Cespedes (OAK) - 17NL: Bryce Harper (WAS) - 8AL: Chris Davis (BAL) - 8NL: Michael Cuddyer (COL) - 7 NL: Pedro Alvarez (PIT) - 6AL: Prince Fielder (DET) - 5NL: David Wright (NYM) - 5AL: Robinson Cano (NYY) - 4 The final addition to the field, Cespedes was the fourth player not selected for the All-Star game to compete in the event.Colorado outfielder Michael Cuddyer and Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis, who leads the majors with 37 homers, were eliminated in the second round. Davis tied Reggie Jackson (1969) for the AL record before the All-Star break.Alvarez was added when Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez pulled out with a sprained middle finger. 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LEVI, Finland -- Even with less pre-season slalom training than usual, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin keeps dominating her favorite discipline.The Olympic and world champion shifted her focus in practice to super-G and even downhill, but her reign in the slalom discipline has remained unaffected.Shiffrin held on to a comfortable opening-run lead to win the first womens World Cup slalom of the season on Saturday in freezing conditions of minus 9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit), dropping even more to around minus 14 C (7 F) for the second run.She finished in a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 52.71 seconds, 0.67 ahead of Switzerlands Wendy Holdener.Slovakias Petra Vlhova came 0.75 back in third.Now I almost feel like I wish there was more time before the next races so I could train more and improve more, Shiffrin said about increasing the number of speed events on her schedule.The rest of Saturdays field trailed Shiffrin by at least a second, while Swedens Frida Hansdotter, who was runner-up after the opening leg, failed to finish her second run.I am never confident, really, said Shiffrin, who has won all nine slaloms that she has competed in since February 2015. However, Hansdotter took the slalom title last season as Shiffrin missed five races because of a knee injury.There was a lot of doubt in my mind, Shiffrin said. I was very nervous.Shiffrins ninth consecutive win left her one short of Janica Kostelics record. The Croatian great won 10 straight slaloms that she competed in between December 1999 and February 2001.Still, Shiffrin wouldnt take anything for granted, referring to the strength of her challengers.Frida went out, and Wendy skied really strong but she had a huge mistake the first run, the American said. Without that mistake she would have been even faster, and Petra was really good as well.The victory in northern Finland earned Shiffrin an usual prize -- a reindeer. She got one from her previous win here in 2013 and called him `Rudolph. This time she was going to call him `Sven --- after the reindeer from the movie Frozen.ddddddddddddIt was Shiffrins 21st career win and 20th in slalom, matching Kostelics number of wins. Only Austrias Marlies Raich (35) and Swiss pair Vreni Schneider (34) and Erika Hess (21) won more slaloms.Racing down the slope in the orange glow of the setting Arctic sun, Shiffrin took a 0.72-second lead over Hansdotter and Holdener, who shared second place after the opening run.While Holdener put pressure on Shiffrin with a near-flawless second attempt, Hansdotter -- last seasons title holder -- straddled a gate when she entered the steep pitch and skied out in the middle section.I really wanted to go for it today, and for sure the end of last season was great, so it gave me confidence, Holdener said. I had to learn to be more aggressive on the skis. I really love skiing and it wasnt easy to focus and give everything.Vlhova skied on the safe side in the first run.We talked with my team that I have to go full gas in second run, Vlhova said. Im happy it worked out.Shiffrin wasnt clean from the start of her final run and had lost 0.13 on Holdener at the first split, but the American accelerated to extend her lead to 0.92 before avoiding risks in the final part of her run.The victory gave Shiffrin, who placed second in the season-opening GS last month, the lead in the overall standings with 180 points, 80 clear of Lara Gut.The overall champion from Switzerland won the race last month but usually does not compete in slaloms.The 18-year-old Melanie Meillard of Switzerland, who was competing in her fourth World Cup race, started in 40th but finished sixth, 1.87 off the lead. Austrias Bernadette Schild, younger sister of retired slalom great Marlies Raich, failed to qualify for the second run after damaging the edge of a ski early in her run and finishing 3.92 seconds behind Shiffrin.A mens slalom on the same course is scheduled for Sunday. ' ' '