Jordan Walker is going to be a little less welcome in Philadelphia after the 2026 Home Run Derby
Facing Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber in the final round and down to his last swing, the St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger needed three consecutive homers just to tie the local hero. He hit four, stunning the hostile crowd at Citizens Bank Park
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With that, Walker became the first Cardinal to win the Derby. He also took home a $1 million prize as champion, a major boost for a pre-arb player making $799,400 this season
Just a few minutes earlier, Schwarber had sent the crowd into a frenzy, with teammate Bryce Harper declaring “it’s over” when Schwarber reached seven long balls
It was an ending only possible under MLB’s new Derby rules, which allowed players to keep swinging if they hit a homer on their final swing. What Walker did in the final was exactly what MLB had in mind when it made the change
It was Kyle Schwarber vs. Bryce Harper in the first round
There was drama before the final as well
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After six batters, Willson Contreras, Walker and Junior Caminero were all sitting pretty with 12 or more homers. The final two batters were the local favorites, Schwarber and Harper
Schwarber proceeded to hit 10 homers, eliminating Munetaka Murakami and setting a high bar to clear for his teammate, who had been visibly pumped up when he walked onto the boxing-ring-style stage. Philadelphia would get one — and only one — of its players into the semifinals
That ended up being Schwarber, as Harper hit only eight homers
It was something of a repeat of the 2018 Home Run Derby final, in which Harper, then a member of the Washington Nationals, beat Schwarber, then with the Cubs, at Nationals Park
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Adding to the fun was Schwarber promising before the contest that a fantasy football-style punishment awaited the lower-performing member of the Phillies. We’ll see what that means for Harper
Phillies fans made themselves heard at the Home Run Derby
Fandom doesn’t usually mean much in the Home Run Derby, but this one was in Philadelphia and featured two members of the local team
Phillies fans gave us an inkling that things would be a bit different when they booed every player not in a Phillies uniform during introductions, but they really made themselves heard in the semifinals and final, booing Contreras and Walker before every pitch and cheering every miss
Did you expect anything else at Citizens Bank Park?
How did the Home Run Derby rule change go down?
MLB made a major change with the Home Run Derby this year, dropping a clock-based system that initially received positive reviews but left both players and viewers fatigued after a decade of frantic swinging
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This year, players got 20 “swings” in the first round and 15 in the subsequent rounds. It was different than the old “outs” system because a player got only 20 swings to hit homers, rather than being allowed to hit them indefinitely as long as they avoided outs
The end result was far fewer homers than in any recent Derby, but there were some dramatic points that would’ve been lessened under the clock system, such as when Conteras needed one more homer to catch Schwarber in the semifinal and came up short on his last two swings
One thing that definitely seemed to need tinkering, at least until the final, was MLB’s choice of balls for the final swing of each appearance. Under the new rules, players get to keep hitting if they homer on the last swing, and the league clearly wanted a visual effect for those, much like what the NBA does with its bonus balls in the 3-Point Shootout
Conspicuously few players hit any homers with those balls, and the Netflix broadcast was openly speculating that hitters were having trouble seeing them
Until Walker did what he did in the final
Walker had only eight homers when he reached his final swing, but he homers four straight times to stun Schwarber and the rest of Philadelphia! He is the first Cardinals player to win the event
What a moment
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These are already some loud boos for Walker, who is taking his time
That’s a high bar for Walker to clear, and Citizens Bank Park loved it
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With Willson Contreras needing 10 homers to advance past Kyle Schwarber, the CBP crowd was booing him mercilessly throughout his entire round. Swings that didn’t result in homers were cheered, and homers were met with loud expressions of exhausted and concerned disappointment
That was one of the most unique and unintentionally hilarious rounds of the Derby that I have ever witnessed
That was fun. Contreras was cranking them out at one point, but he comes up short on his last couple of swings and finishes with nine. Schwarber advances, to the delight of the fans who just spent the last five minutes booing his former teammate
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Phillies fans are booing Conteras before every pitch and cheering every miss. This is what it’s all about
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Like in the first round, Schwarber got off to a slow start then strung together homer after homer. Willson Contreras, who hasn’t hit in an hour and a half, has a high bar to clear
Netflix cuts away to the stands right before Schwarber hits his first homer. This stream hasn’t been without its misses
The top performer of the first round vs. the local favorite who vanquished the other local favorite. Two former Cubs teammates, two former catchers. Schwarber goes first
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The Cardinals slugger eliminates last year’s runner-up with seven swings to spare. He is one more good showing from becoming the first Cardinal to win the Home Run Derby
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That sure looks like a beatable number for Jordan Walker. Fatigue might have been a factor there
Junior Caminero is up first in the semifinals, competing for a return trip to the final
