Jordan Walker Makes History With Thrilling 2026 MLB Home Run Derby Win - Page 18

MLB All-Star Week is underway, and with Philly serving as the host city, Netflix’s Home Run Derby took place at Citizens Bank Park.

Officials tried to revitalize the competition with a format change by removing the timer, having no outs, and just a set number of swings. The first round is 20 swings, 15 swings in the second, and 15 swings in the Finals.

Facing off were Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees’ Ben Rice, Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero, Willson Contreras from the Boston Red Sox, Munetaka Murakami from the Chicago White Sox, Jac Caglianone from the Kansas City Royals and winner Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the new rules also came another first: Walker’s win made him the first Cardinal ever to win the Derby.

In the finals, it came down to a bat-off between Walker and Schwarber, who leaned on the hometown love as the Philly crowd rooted for their guy.

Schwarber looked like he was going to win as he racked up 11 homers and a bonus, but Walker had a comeback as he entered the last round.

He stepped to the plate and his six straight homers, including three in the bonus period, earned him the title, which comes with a ruby-encrusted Liberty Bell chain and the trophy.

After accepting the award, he acknowledged that the crowd wasn’t on his side when he was asked what it’s like to have 40,000 people boo him.

“I was once told you don’t boo nobody,” Walker said. “So it feels pretty good.”

He continued, “Schwarber hit 11 homers out of 15 (swings), and I just told myself, ‘I’ve got some work to do.’ Being in Philly, with all the odds stacked against me, but in all honesty, I came in here thinking I could win. I never thought I couldn’t win, and I think that helped me out a little bit.”

The bragging rights also come with a million-dollar prize, which is more than his current annual salary of $799,400. But if he keeps swinging like this in the second half of the season, he’s definitely got a lucrative contract in his near future. He’s also the fifth-youngest winner ever at 24 years, 52 days old.

The new format appeared to be a success, and even if your favorite sluggers didn’t come out on top, a total of 117 homers made sure the night wasn’t a drag.

See social media’s reaction to the 2026 Home Run Derby below.