Jordan Walker beats Schwarber for 2026 Home Run Derby title
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Jordan Walker won the 2026 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby in his first appearance, defeating hometown hero Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in the final round at Citizens Bank Park to become the first St. Louis Cardinals player ever to win the event.
- Kyle Schwarber carried Philadelphia's hopes alone after teammate Bryce Harper was eliminated in the first round with 8 home runs, falling to Schwarber's 10; the final-swing bonus proved decisive as Walker hit 12 in 18 swings to Schwarber's 11 in 15.
- Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero crushed the longest blast of the night at 491 feet but was eliminated in the semifinal by Walker, while Yankees first baseman Ben Rice posted the lowest total with 7 home runs in a first-round exit.
- The Philadelphia crowd of 43,863 relentlessly booed every non-Phillie and cheered Schwarber's every out from opponents, creating what ESPN's Jorge Castillo called an 'unusually raucous atmosphere' that turned Walker into 'public enemy No. 1' after the final.
- None of ESPN's five insiders predicted Walker to win the Derby — Jeff Passan picked Caminero, David Schoenfield picked Schwarber, Buster Olney picked Harper, Jesse Rogers picked Caminero, and Jorge Castillo picked Schwarber — making Walker's title a consensus miss.
- The new Derby format, which rewards the percentage of balls hit over the fence rather than sheer swing volume, drew mixed reviews: fairer competition but missing the rapid-fire barrages that can electrify a crowd during a hot streak.
- White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, both first-time Derby participants identified as breakout candidates, were both eliminated in the first round with 9 and 8 home runs respectively.
Why it matters: Walker ended a decades-long Cardinals drought in this marquee All-Star event and did it on the road in front of 43,863 hostile Phillies fans, validating a new Derby format designed to reward contact efficiency over volume. For Philadelphia, Schwarber's runner-up finish — eight years after Harper won as the hometown hero in Washington — underscores how the Phillies still haven't had a player win their own park's Derby since Bobby Abreu in 2005.
