Walker stuns Schwarber with epic heater to win HR Derby

It's a Walker walk-off.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker went on an epic heater with his back to the wall to stun hometown hero Kyle Schwarber and win the 2026 Home Run Derby.

Walker appeared to be finished when he sat at eight homers with one swing left, three back of Schwarber. That's when he took off, crushing homers on each of his final four swings to take the title with a 12-11 win in the finals.

Walker is the first Cardinals player to win the Home Run Derby. At 24 years, 52 days old, he's also the fifth-youngest champion, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

The first-time All-Star won a $1-million prize along with the championship trophy and a sweet championship chain - not to mention bragging rights in the National League dugout during Tuesday's Midsummer Classic. Former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard presented the chain to Walker, rubbing a little more salt in the wound for Philadelphia fans.

Walker's performance delighted his family, who were in attendance wearing customized Cardinals jerseys.

"He was awesome today. I just loved everything about it. Just his attitude, his approach, the smoothness of his swing - a little like his dad," Walker's father, Derek, quipped to Netflix Sports' Lauren Shehadi after the event. "But he just did a great job. We're so proud of him."

The Derby title is the latest electric moment in a breakout season for Walker, who's hitting .294/.354/.532 with 22 homers, a major-league leading 74 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases in 93 games for the Cardinals this season.

Relive the HR Derby 👇

HR Derby final: Schwarber vs. Walker

Jordan Walker did his best, crushing five homers as the boos rained down. He backed himself into a corner, but that wasn't going to stop him on this night. Walker crushed homers on each of his final six swings to walk off Schwarber for the title and stun the Philadelphia crowd.

Schwarber is in a groove. Backed by the home crowd, he turned the Bank into his backyard by hitting seven out on his first 11 swings - with another four for good measure to close it out. He became the first competitor to homer on his final swing, giving himself a bonus try, and that last swing just barely missed. Walker has his work cut out.

Round 2: Contreras vs. Schwarber

Philadelphia certainly made life hard for Contreras, booing him throughout the semis as he chased down Schwarber. And the Red Sox star certainly enjoyed it, seeming to gain more strength as the boos grew louder as he launched eight homers. It came down to one final swing ... and Contreras couldn't get it done, sending Schwarber into the final as Citizens Bank Park jumped for joy.

Round 2: Walker bounces Caminero

Caminero went first in the semis and put on a show, but his five homers in 15 swings were easily topped by Walker, who advanced to the final round.

Caminero didn't go quietly, though, as he crushed a 491-foot shot that's the longest of the night overall.

Harper comes up short

Bryce Harper fell two homers short of advancing to the second round, but the silver lining is his teammate Kyle Schwarber moves on. After a slow start to the event, the Home Run Derby is starting to heat up. Now we head to the semifinals where Willson Contreras will take on Schwarber, while Jordan Walker goes against Junior Caminero.

Schwarber or Harper?

Only one hometown Phillie will advance to the second round after Home Run Derby favorite Kyle Schwarber finished with 10 homers and currently sits in fourth. Schwarber got off to a slow start but homered on four straight swings to get going. Bryce Harper is the final hitter in Round 1. Harper can advance with 11 home runs. If he finishes with 10, he will need to make sure his longest home run goes over 461 feet.

Does Caminero have enough?

Junior Caminero has one of the sweetest right-handed swings in the majors. The Rays star third baseman clubbed 12 homers to put himself in good position, but he'll need one of Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper to struggle if he's to advance. Caminero's 111.8-mph average exit velocity matched Willson Contreras for the hardest of the event so far.

Pressure cooker

Ben Rice has been raking during the regular season, but he ran into some trouble in the Derby. With his dad, Dan, on the mound, the Yankees star clubbed seven homers in 20 swings, none longer than a 443-foot blast into the second deck. He seemed to tire out pretty quickly. Rice became the first hitter eliminated, while Willson Contreras is on to the second round.

Mune's moon shots

Munetaka Murakami put his eye-popping power on full display, crushing nine homers in the first round. His longest was a 466-foot bomb that left the bat at 114 mph. This dude makes hitting homers look easy.

Jac jams

It took Jac Caglianone a little while to get warmed up, and he finished with eight so he'll have a long road to the second round. But boy, what a run that was for a few minutes. The Royals star smoked four straight homers, including one over the center-field batter's eye and another into the third deck in right field - a place that few, if any, have ever visited in this ballpark's history.

Walker with the response

Jordan Walker looked like he was tiring out, but dug deep to hit a 13th homer on his final swing and finish the first round tied with Contreras. His longest was a 470-foot shot, so Contreras holds the tiebreaker.

What a start for Willson

Maybe the boos fueled Willson Contreras. The Red Sox star started slowly but picked up the pace and started lighting up Citizens Bank Park, mashing 13 homers in the first round - including an epic 490-foot blast.

Harper's ready

It's Harper's home turf, and he wants you to know it. The Phillies superstar pumped up the crowd after being introduced by iconic announcer Michael Buffer.

Philly special

Philadelphia fans don't even let up for an exhibition. With two Phillies in the field tonight, the Citizens Bank Park faithful greeted the other six contestants with loud jeers - in other words, exactly what you'd expect from the City of Brotherly Love. Where's Santa Claus when you need him?

Score big in Philly

theScore Bet has made its presence known at Citizens Bank Park. How many times will the sluggers hit this sign tonight?

Who's up first?

The order of the first round has been revealed:

⚾️ Bet on the Home Run Derby with theScore Bet here

Harper's last dance

Regardless of the result, Bryce Harper wants the world to know that this is his Home Run Derby swan song.

"This will be my last one, no matter what," the Phillies superstar said Tuesday, according to Dan Gelston of The Associated Press.

Harper will try to go out on a high note by winning his second career Derby. He last won it in 2018.

The 2026 Derby: Everything to know

Who's ready to see some dingers?

The 2026 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby takes place Monday night in Philadelphia, as eight of the sport's most feared sluggers square off to swing for the fences. Here's everything you need to know about the event.

What time does it start?
8 p.m. ET

Where can I watch it?
For the first time, the Derby will be exclusively broadcast on Netflix.

Who's taking part?
A star-studded field, to be sure. Here are the eight participants:

Caminero (2025), Harper (2013 and '18), and Schwarber (2018 and '22) have all participated in past Home Run Derbies. Harper won the event in 2018 and will be trying to become just the fifth player with multiple Derby wins.

What are the format changes? For the first time in several years, MLB tweaked the Derby format by ditching the clock. Players will now get 20 swings in the first round and 15 in both Round 2 and the finals. A player who homers on his final swing of the round can keep on swinging until they fail to hit another one out.

There's no bracket in Round 1. The top four players by first-round home-run totals will advance to the semifinals, where they'll be seeded one through four and face off head-to-head (No. 1 vs. No. 4, No. 2 vs. No. 3) for a spot in the finals. Any ties in Round 1 will be broken by longest home run hit. If there are ties in the semis or final round, they'll be broken via a best-of-three swing-off between contestants.

Everybody got all that? Good.

What about the ballpark? Glad you asked. Citizens Bank Park has always had a hitter-friendly reputation, and that should lead to some fun in the Derby. Here are the park's dimensions:

Citizens Bank Park has a park factor of 103 this year, according to Statcast, tied for the sixth-highest in MLB. It's been playing slightly above average for hitters in 2026. It will be a clear night in Philadelphia with some expected light winds that could aid sluggers.

What's the prize? Besides bragging rights, the winner gets $1 million in addition to this sweet chain that shows off the best of Philly and celebrates the United States' semiquincentennial.

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