ST. LOUIS -- Prince Fielder entered the State Fair Home Run with rather modest goals.

"I just want to hit some home runs," he said. "I'd like to get out of the first round."

The Brewers first baseman exceeded that benchmark. He belted 23 homers over three rounds to win the title, outdistancing a star-studded field with a fireworks display that included 503-foot homer into the second deck of Busch Stadium's right-field stands.

"I've never hit a ball 500 feet, so that's pretty cool," said Fielder, who beat his former teammate -- Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz -- in the final. "I'm just happy to win it. It was pretty cool to actually win one. You never think as a kid you're going to win one.

"It's a dream come true."

Fielder, who was the Brewers' hottest hitter in the weeks leading up to the break, used one of injured teammate Rickie Weeks' bats to start the competition, but switched to a Ryan Braun model later.

"Once I grabbed his (Ryan's) bat, I felt good," Fielder said. "Ryan's bat is a little longer ... he looks good with it."

Braun, who will start for the All-Star Game tonight as the National League's rightfielder and cleanup hitter, hugged Fielder after his sixth homer cleared the wall in the finals.

Fielder's two young sons, Jadyn and Haven, also greeted their father. "I love having them here," said Fielder, who attended the All-Star Game and home run derby as a kid with his father, Cecil, from whom he is now estranged.

"That's one of my favorite parts of this, having them around for this."

Cruz opened the night with 11 homers in the first round and Fielder, batting second, matched him. Nobody else in the first round reached seven and nobody matched the 497-foot missile that Fielder launched to right field. Fielder belted the 500-footer in the second round. He hit the four longest and eighth of the top 10 longest, but history indicates that sluggers who succeed in the middle rounds often fade in the final.

That didn't happen to Fielder.

With Class AAA Nashville hitting coach Sandy Guerrero grooving pitches, Fielder kept on the attack.

Guerrero, who received his assignment on Sunday (and initially thought it was a joke), had a feeling Fielder was bound for success.

"He was taking the pitches that he should take," said Guerrero, who also coached Cruz and Braun in the minor leagues. "At times he took some pitches that he could hit. But the main thing was that he kept his cool, and he kept his strength until the end."

Despite a long layoff, Fielder entered his last round needed five to tie Cruz and six to win. In a somewhat surprising turn, the St. Louis fans actually cheered on the division rival, probably because they wanted the National League player to prevail.

After hitting five, he made three "outs" before sealing the deal with a winning blast that plunked on a grassy knoll in center field.

"I was trying to hit the ball a little too far," he said.

Fielder's victory earned $50,000 for 14-year-old Kylie Kochel and the Boys & Girls club in Bethalo, Ill. Thanks to a promotion cooked up by his employer, fans will receive a $23 discount on outfield loge tickets for the Brewers' games against San Diego Aug. 11 to 13 at Miller Park. Information is available at brewers.com.

When the fun ended and he prepared for an on-field interview with ESPN's Erin Andrews, Fielder celebrated in typical Milwaukee style -- he untucked his jersey.

"The whole night was cool," Fielder said.