With each swing, Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas made Three Rivers Stadium look like a Little League park.
They both hit balls where none had traveled Monday, leading the American League to its fourth straight win in the All-Star home run derby.Griffey won the contest, but Thomas hit the longest drive, a 519-foot shot that struck a black-and-gold banner bearing Will Clark's name in the upper deck in left-center field.
When Thomas was done - he hit another homer that went more than 500 feet - he was met by a bowing Griffey in the dugout.
Griffey, however, topped Thomas' four homers in 14 swings by hitting seven home runs in 17 tries. He also sent shots into the upper deck, his longest being a 512-footer to right field.
"I thought, maybe, I might hit two out," Griffey said. "I can't even think about upper-deck shots here. It's a long way off."
Only 11 balls have been hit into the upper deck in regulation play since the stadium opened in 1970. Jeff Bagwell hit the longest drive, a 483-footer in 1991.
"Dude, did you ever see one hit up there before? Never!" former Pirates star Barry Bonds said to Pittsburgh coach Rich Donnelly, the batting practice pitcher. "They make this stadium look like it didn't exist. It was awesome."
Griffey, who lost last year's derby in a playoff to Juan Gonzalez in Baltimore, hit five balls into the upper deck.
While he and Thomas dueled for the longest balls and loudest cheers, they joined with Albert Belle and Ruben Sierra for a 17-11 edge over the National League team of Fred McGriff, Mike Piazza, Dante Bichette and Bagwell.
McGriff led the NL with five homers and his longest was 473 feet. Of the 10 longest balls, nine were hit by AL players.
The AL has made the power exhibition a no-contest for four years, combining for an 85-43 edge. Griffey has hit seven homers in each of the last three events; no NL player has ever hit seven since the event started in 1985.
Matt Williams, tied with Griffey for the major league homer lead with 33 this season, might've been able to match Griffey. But Williams declined to participate, believing it might mess up his swing.
"Home runs aren't important to me," he said.
The derby allows players to hit as many home runs as possible until they've made 10 outs. Any swing that does not result in a homer is counted as an out.
Earlier in the day, during a celebrity home run challenge, no one threatened to break any records. Actors Michael Keaton, Tony Danza and Danny Glover, Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and singer Meat Loaf took turns hitting popups and grounders.
"I'm a contact hitter," Keaton offered. "That's my game. Put it in play, not hit for power."
Then again, Piazza did not do much better. For the second straight year, he was shut out.