From left: Doug Flutie, Matt Damon, Fred Lyunn take a walk in the grass at Fenway Park as part of the All-Star Celebrity Hitting Challenge. (Globe Photo / Dominic Chavez)

BOSTON - Matt Damon stepped to the plate, missed one pitch, hit four others foul and put only two balls into fair territory.

Not exactly a McGwiresque performance, but a crowd pleaser nonetheless.

The actor from Cambridge took part in Sunday's Celebrity Hitting Challenge, part of five days of events leading to Tuesday night's All-Star game. So did actor Kevin Costner, who fared better.

"I came out to see Kevin Costner because I think he's cute and I wanted to see if he could play baseball,'' said Casey Levesque, 6, of Fall River.

The last time the All-Star game was in Fenway Park was in 1961. There was no Celebrity Hitting Challenge, no FanFest, no Home Run Derby, no Futures Game. The spotlight was, simply, on the game.

And that's where it remains despite all the sidelights.

"I don't think that takes the spotlight off the game,'' Damon said before taking his cuts. "This is just some kind of warmup stuff, revenue for the city, an excuse to come out to the ballpark on a sunny day for a lot of people.''

It was a chance for those people to feel part of the All-Star experience even if they can't attend the game in 33,871-seat Fenway Park, the smallest stadium in the majors.

One person who won't attend is Jose Canseco, who leads the AL with 31 homers. The Tampa Bay slugger was elected as the AL designated hitter, but a bad back forced him out of Tuesday's game. On Sunday, he was replaced by Harold Baines of Baltimore.

In Sunday's hitting challenge, four teams of three players each - a celebrity, a former major league All-Star and a retired Red Sox star - earned points for hitting the ball to certain spots on the field. Despite Damon's problems, his team won because of the hitting of Jim Rice and Steve Garvey.

Sunday's events also gave pitcher Kip Wells a chance to be part of the extravaganza. Wells, the Chicago White Sox' first-round draft pick last year, was on the USA Futures Team that played the World Futures Team in a game involving promising minor leaguers.

"It gives prospects a chance to compare their talents against others at that point in their game,'' Wells said. "For me, it was a thrill just being in the dressing room with those guys whose movies I have.''

It also was special for Doug Flutie, the Buffalo Bills quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy at Boston College. He lined one ball off the Green Monster in left field during the celebrity contest.

"We get a chance to come to Fenway for an All-Star game to rub shoulders with the current players and go out and be kids again for a day,'' he said. "And it's just a blast.''

Flutie would like the NFL Pro Bowl to add similar activities. In basketball, the NBA All-Star festivities feature dunking contests and old-timers' and rookie games.

The Boston all-star events began with FanFest, running Friday through Tuesday, where fans tour baseball exhibits. The last event before the actual game is Monday night's Home Run Derby.

In 1961 the game was the thing, the only thing. And there wasn't even a winner as rain ended it with the score 1-1 after nine innings.

The first Home Run Derby was in 1985 in Minneapolis. The next year, in Houston, a relay throw competition was added. In 1987, in Oakland, there were two more events - catcher's throw for accuracy and hitting for accuracy.

And last year in Denver, the first All-Star Hitting Challenge, similar to Sunday's event, was held.

"Much of what has been added has been to the fan's benefit,'' Sandy Alderson, executive vice president for baseball operations, said Sunday. "The Futures Game is really a way of illustrating the international aspect of the game that already exists.''

In 1946, the other time the All-Star game was in Fenway Park, Ted Williams went 4-for-4 in his home stadium in the American League's 12-0 win. Today, at age 80, even he likes the expanded format.

"If they don't try and squeeze too much in too few days, I think it's all a celebration,'' Williams said. "It's all fun for baseball fans.''