CINCINNATI (AP) — Here are the latest developments from baseball’s All-Star Game festivities in Cincinnati, where sluggers are competing in the Home Run Derby on Monday night before Tuesday’s game to decide home field advantage in the World Series (all times local):
9:23 p.m.
Chicago Cubs rookie Kris Bryant put himself in precarious position, hitting nine home runs that averaged 427 mixed with a lot of foul balls and flyouts.
Bryant’s high was 462 feet.
The Angels’ Albert Pujols now tries to knock him out.
___
9:08 p.m.
Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson showed perhaps the most power thus far in the Home Run Derby.
He hit 13 homers to knock out Baltimore’s Manny Machado, passing Machado with more than 90 seconds left to try to hit more home runs.
Pederson stroked a pair of opposite-field homers to left center and hit 13 in all, averaging 426 feet and topping out at 487.
___
9:00 p.m.
Another right-handed batter, Baltimore’s Manny Machado, pumped out 12 home runs to left field that averaged 431 feet in the first round of the Home Run Derby on Monday night.
With the crowd somewhat subdued after spending its energy on Reds star Todd Frazier, Machado had to supply his own adrenaline. His longest drive was 469 feet.
Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson is up next, trying to get to 13.
___
8:48 p.m.
Hometown star Todd Frazier eliminated Prince Fielder in the first round of the Home Run Derby, hitting 14 drives that averaged 422 feet.
Aiming at left field, Frazier hit a long shot of 455 feet.
The crowd loved his power, repeatedly chanting: “Let’s Go Frazier!”
Frazier tied Fielder in the waning seconds before his 30 seconds of bonus time, then used the bonus time to get the win and move on.
Frazier will face Toronto Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson in the second round.
___
8:40 p.m.
Two-time derby champion Prince Fielder got right to it.
The Texas Rangers designated hitter connected with a 435 foot homer on his first swing and had 13 overall.
His longes home run went 474 feet, still a few rows shy of leaving the ballpark. He used his timeout with just 16 seconds left in his 30-second bonus.
Next up, Reds fan favorite Todd Frazier. And the ovation is huge.
___
8:30 p.m.
Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays needed just three swings to get into a groove.
He ran off a streak of six home runs in a row, all to left field, and easily beat Anthony Rizzo in their first round matchup Monday night in the Home Run Derby.
Donaldson finished with nine long balls and passed up his 30-second bonus. Donaldson will face the winner of the Albert-Pujols-Kris Bryant matchup.
___
8:20 p.m.
Anthony Rizzo took nine cuts, then stepped out of the batter’s box with 3 minutes left in the round for a break. He then connected on his 11th swing for his first home run.
He just missed leaving the ballpark, with a 426-foot drive to right field that fell a few rows short of a possible dip in the Ohio River. Two of his seven homers were farther than 425 feet, so he earned himself an extra 30 seconds. He added one more drive during bonus time for a total of eight home runs in the first round.
___
7:45 p.m.
Major League Baseball has adjusted the Home Run Derby’s new format to protect against the possibility of more rain — it’s an ominous forecast.
The elimination bracket stays the same, the time allotments have been changed.
Each batter will now have four minutes, instead of five, to hit as many long balls as possible. A 475-foot homer will no longer get a player a 60-second bonus. Now, a player gets an extra 30 seconds for two home runs over 425 feet.
The pairings stay the same though:
— Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier is paired with two-time champion Prince Fielder of Texas in the first round. Chicago Cubs rookie Kris Bryant is together with the Los Angeles Angels’ Albert Pujols, Toronto’s Josh Donaldson is in a bracket with the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo and Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson takes on Baltimore’s Manny Machado.
The Frazier-Fielder winner faces Donaldson or Rizzo, and the Bryant-Pujols winner goes against Pederson or Machado.
___
7:20 p.m.
The Reds’ own Todd Frazier stepped into the batter’s box for Home Run Derby batting practice, prompting loud ovation from the Great American Ball Park crowd.
Fans cheered each of his home runs while Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” played on the stadium PA system.
___
6:10 p.m.
The sun is shining at Great American Ball Park after heavy rains earlier in the day, and the National League All-Stars are taking the field for batting practice.
A large billboard on an easel stands near the batting cage showing the bracket for the Home Run Derby, each player represented by his headshot. Currently, the bracket is filled out to with hometown favorite Todd Frazier beating Baltimore’s Manny Machado.
___
5:55 p.m.
New baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred does not like the idea of playing doubleheaders to create more days off during the 183-day season.
Manfred said during a town hall chat with fans on Monday that he thinks if the league does anything dramatically different, it’d be better off shortening the schedule.
Also, while Manfred intends to review Pete Rose’s application for reinstatement, he has no such plans for the banned members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox.
He says the White Sox players were eligible for the Hall of Fame and were on the ballot for several years despite not being elected.
He says it’s better for historians than MLB to figure out how to treat Buck Weaver and the other players involved in that scandal.
Manfred also says there is a possibility that disabled list rules may change to give teams greater flexibility. He says he wouldn’t be surprised to see the duration of a player’s stay on the list shortened from 15 days.
4:20 p.m.
The fashion accessory of media day: children.
Matt Holliday, A.J. Burnett, Jose Iglesias, Felix Hernandez and Prince Fielder all had help at the mic during their question and answer sessions. Fielder’s 10-year-old son Jadyn was given a chance to ask his dad a question.
The youngster mulled it over for a moment and queried, “How many tattoos do you have?” Prince couldn’t give an answer. Too many to count. King Felix’s son — prince Felix? — walked off with his dad’s name placard.
Holliday was flanked by his sons, both with their gloves, ready to play even if dad is ineligible because he is injured. Iglesias’ son got in the spirit of the Cincinnati mustache craze: He had a handle-bar mustache drawn on his upper lip.
___
3:35 p.m.
With sold-out crowds expected at Great American Ball Park the next two nights, Delaware North Sportservice is preparing quite a feast for the fans.
In addition to serving what they estimate to be over 1 million pounds of popcorn, 301,000 gallons of soda and 263,000 hot dogs, Delaware North is hosting a pig roast — two pigs a day on a spit on the concourse beyond right field — and cooking a 64 (!) pound turkey.
___
3:30 p.m.
The torrential downpour has stopped and workers in bright red polo shirts are sweeping away the water accumulated on a public concourse.
Home run derby news conference host Karl Ravech reassures everyone the sluggers should get to swing on Monday night.
Ravech says officials have consulted with popular Weather Channel meteorologist and storm tracker Jim Cantore, “who loves it when it looks like the world is ending.”
Ravech says Cantore believes the derby will go on.
___
2:50 p.m.
While it’s not as immense and wacky as the spectacle that is Super Bowl media day, the NL All-Stars were grilled by more than 150 reporters for about an hour in a hotel ballroom.
Among the most unusual questions overheard on Monday ahead of the home run derby: What super power would you want? Is the hot dog a sandwich?
Pittsburgh pitcher Gerrit Cole was caught off-guard by the super power question. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo quickly offered: “to fly.”
Rizzo was adamant that a hot dog is not a sandwich: “A hot dog is a hot dog.”
___
2:30 p.m.
The field at Great American Ball Park is getting soaked as weather officials in Cincinnati warn of thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service says minor flooding near Cincinnati is possible. Another wave of heavy rain is expected to arrive Monday evening.
Only one home run derby has ever been rained out — 1988’s contest in Cincinnati’s old Riverfront Stadium. Last year’s derby was delayed for rain at Minnesota’s Target Field.
There’s only a 30 percent chance of storms for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
___
2:25 p.m.
The players’ association and MLB say $30 million for youth baseball and softball development will come from the tax money collected from teams for spending on international players.
Teams spending caused $71.5 million in tax to be collected for the 2014-15 signing period, topped by $36.1 million from Boston.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday the initiative will be called “Play Ball.”
Manfred says its designed to get kids playing baseball in its simplest forms, even if only Wiffle ball or catch.
He says the U.S. Conference of Mayors will help get the program off the ground, with commitments for 120 events already this summer.
___
1:25 p.m.
The AL lineup for the All-Star Game:
1. CF Mike Trout, Angels. 2. 3B Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays. 3. 1B Albert Pujols, Angels. 4. DH Nelson Cruz, Mariners. 5. RF Lorenzo Cain, Royals. 6. LF Adam Jones, Orioles. 7. C Salvador Perez, Royals. 8. 2B Jose Altuve, Astros. 9. SS Alcides Escobar, Royals.
It’s a lineup of all right-handed hitters. The only other time a team opened with an all righty lineup was when NL did it for the first of two games in 1962.
___
1:20 p.m.
American League manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals sat on a ballroom dais and named his starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game — a selection few would have predicted before the season began: Dallas Keuchel of the surprising Houston Astros.
The bushy-bearded left-hander is 11-4 with a 2.23 ERA for a team that’s a half-game out of first in the AL West after topping the standings much of the first half.
He’s 3-1 against division foes, winning both starts vs. the Angels.
___
1:15 p.m.
The scoreless streak is safe for this start.
Yep, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke has been tabbed for the honor as NL starter by Bruce Bochy, manager of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
The 31-year-old Greinke brings a scoreless run of 35 2-3 innings over five starts. He is 8-2 with a majors-leading 1.39 ERA.
___
1:10 p.m.
The NL lineup for the All-Star Game:
1. CF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates. 2. 3B Todd Frazier, Reds. 3. RF Bryce Harper, Nationals. 4. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks. 5. C Buster Posey, Giants. 6. DH Anthony Rizzo, Cubs. 7. SS Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals. 8. LF Joc Pederson, Dodgers. 9. 2B DJ LeMahieu, Rockies.
___
1:05 p.m.
Commissioner Rob Manfred, overseeing his first All-Star Game, started off Monday’s news conference at the Westin Hotel near Great American Ball Park by announcing that MLB and the players’ association will commit $30 million toward the development of youth baseball and softball.
Manfred said the program will focus on five areas: training coaches, grants to build academies, opportunities for people to play in underserved areas, utilization of former players and defraying the cost of elite play.
___
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.