Cardinals’ Jordan Walker hits a kickoff to win the Home Run Derby

Budding St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker broke the hearts of the Philadelphia Phillies faithful Monday night, beating out Kyle Schwarber on a blast to win the 2026 Home Run Derby.

Walker hit 12 homers in his final go-round, edging out Schwarber’s 11 in a new MLB format. With his parents watching, Walker’s final home run hit the left field seats and he celebrated in the only way you do when you win the Home Run Derby to be crowned the league’s best hitter during All-Star Weekend.

Once again, MLB introduced a new format for the Home Run Derby, this time giving the eight competitors 20 swings to hit as many home runs as possible. The only caveat: If your final swing results in a home run, you keep swinging until it no longer leaves the yard.

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In this format, players did not need to race against a clock or focus on how far they hit balls to participate in a bonus round. They could lock themselves away and take their time if necessary.

Boston Red Sox star Willson Contreras, who played a key role in the team’s turnaround this season before entering the All-Star break, set the tone with 13 homers in 20 swings. But Walker matched him, as they were both the bar to reach to qualify for the semi-finals.

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Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals hit the third deck in right field, but his eight home runs weren’t enough to propel him to the next round. And new Chicago White Sox fan favorite Munetaka Murakami hit nine to at least give himself a chance.

But Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays hit 12 homers after the seven-homer performance of Ben Rice of the New York Yankees. With three hitters in double figures, local favorites Schwarber and Bryce Harper knew they could punch their own ticket to the next round.

Schwarber was first, hitting 10 homers, which put some pressure on Harper. His Phillies teammate could either hit more than 10 to move on or get lost himself.

Harper only managed to crush eight homers, leaving Schwarber as the final semifinalist. But he did not disappoint.

In the semifinals, 15 swings was now the limit, and Schwarber began to find his rhythm. The left-handed slugger was crushing balls into the stratosphere, striking out nine to set the tone for Contreras. The Red Sox star came close with eight homers, but it wasn’t enough as the Phillies star entered the final out to the delight of the Citizens Bank Park crowd.

Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals competes in the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2026. (Émilee Chinn/Getty Images)

In the other match, Walker continued his run, edging Caminero 6-5 to put him in contention for the Home Run Derby trophy.

But once again, Schwarber, enjoying the cheers of his home crowd in Philadelphia, was unstoppable. He hit 11 of his 15 swings over the fence, putting immense pressure on Walker, who took second.

Walker was up to the challenge when it was time to strike, hitting four home runs to start things off. But with only seven remaining, Walker knew he had to be perfect to reach Schwarber.

With only one swing left and seven home runs, Walker had to run. The suspense was deadly for all spectators, since Walker managed to reach 10 home runs.

Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies competes in the semifinals of the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 13, 2026. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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As he threw a few pitches, Walker found every point of the explosion that tied him to Schwarber, as the large Phillies crowd murmured. Then Walker, still patient, hit a moonshot to left field to ice his victory.

Walker is tied for 10th in MLB this season with 22 home runs, while hitting .294 for the Cardinals with 74 RBIs.