Josh Hamilton dreamed it. Now he's done it.

With a dazzling display of power Monday night, the Texas Rangers slugger hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium before he was beaten out by Minnesota's Justin Morneau in the finals.

American League all-star Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swings during Major League Baseball's All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium in New York on Monday. Hamilton hit 28 home runs in the first round. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Morneau topped a tired Hamilton 5-3 in the last round, giving him the Derby title. But the night belonged to Hamilton.

Back from drug and alcohol addiction that derailed his career, Hamilton broke Bobby Abreu's mark for one round. Abreu hit 24 home runs in the first round in 2005 at Detroit's Comerica Park.

Hamilton's incredible tale of redemption has made national news this season, and he retold a story Monday afternoon about a vivid dream he had two years ago - he was being interviewed at Yankee Stadium after participating in the Home Run Derby.

The 27-year-old Hamilton, a 1999 top draft pick who overcame drug and alcohol problems to reach the majors last season, cracked 13 homers in 13 successive swings late in his turn and bashed three towering drives measured at more than 500 feet.

"I can say it was a coincidence, but I don't believe in those," he said.

Mind you, his dream came while Hamilton was still banned from Major League Baseball, and before this year's all-star game was awarded to the venerable ballpark in its final season.

"Obviously, the dream, I didn't know how many I would hit," Hamilton said in a TV interview after his first-round performance. "I just feel blessed to have played here."

With the crowd of 53,716 chanting his name, undoubtedly warmed by his improbable journey to stardom, Hamilton connected on 13 consecutive cuts before falling short of the fences on his final two.

"I got chills," he said.

With his smooth left-handed swing and jaw-dropping power, Hamilton seemed a natural choice to take advantage of Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch. But he cleared the deepest fences with ease, hitting three shots farther than 500 feet (152m) - including his longest of 518 (158m).

"I was lucky that we got reset," Morneau said. "This was his show. He deserved to win it. That was one of the best performances I've ever seen."

(Agencies via China Daily July 16, 2008)