With his 2026 Home Run Derby win, Jordan Walker silenced a sold-out Philadelphia crowd that believed Kyle Schwarber was finally about to claim the title on his third try.
With his parents watching from the stands, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder delivered a walk-off blast to left field on his final swing Monday night, edging Schwarber 12–11 in Major League Baseball’s newest Derby format. The win makes Walker the first player in franchise history to take home the Derby crown.
“I can’t even describe how it means to win it,” Walker told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “It was a lot of swings, a lot of pressure, but I think I just had fun no matter what. Every round I was having a good time.”
MLB introduced a revised structure this year: each of the eight contestants received 20 swings to hit as many home runs as possible. If the final swing left the yard, the hitter kept going until a ball stayed inside the park. Without a clock or bonus-round distance requirements, players could settle in and focus solely on making clean contact.
Boston Red Sox star Willson Contreras set the early bar with 13 home runs. Walker matched him, securing a spot in the semifinals. Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone (8) and Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami (9) fell short, while Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero advanced with 12. New York Yankees rookie Ben Rice hit seven.
Philadelphia’s hometown favorites — Schwarber and Bryce Harper — closed out the opening round. Schwarber hit 10 to move on. Harper managed eight and was eliminated.
The semifinal round shifted to 15 swings. Schwarber found his rhythm immediately, launching nine home runs to eliminate Contreras. Caminero pushed Walker in the other matchup, but the Cardinals outfielder advanced with a 6–5 win.
That set up the final the Philadelphia crowd wanted — and the finish they didn’t expect.
Schwarber hit 11 of his 15 swings over the fence, drawing roars from fans who believed the moment belonged to him. Walker opened with four homers, then climbed to 10 with one swing remaining. He needed perfection to win — and delivered six straight home runs to stun Citizens Bank Park.
Walker sealed the Derby with a 407-foot shot to left.
His win adds a new chapter to the Cardinals’ All-Star history. No player in team history had ever won the Home Run Derby — until now.
“I knew I was in a good position, but I know anything can happen, too,” Schwarber told Rogers. “And Jordan was unbelievable there … so you can’t say enough about how he was able to kind of slow the moment down and lock it in.”
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.
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Based on reporting by St. Louis American.
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