Jordan Walker wins walk-off Home Run Derby, playing spoiler for Kyle Schwarber and Philly

PHILADELPHIA – In the end, a different kind of fairytale ending was written at Citizens Bank Park.

With a chorus of boos providing a background soundtrack, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker topped Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber on a walk-off home run to win the 2026 Home Run Derby. Down to his last pitch, Walker swung and swung and swung until he matched Schwarber’s final-round total of 11, then sent one more ball into the Philadelphia crowd to win the championship.

“I was once told you don’t boo nobodies,” Walker said. “So it feels pretty good.”

As Walker’s home run tally grew in the finale, the boisterous crowd tightened, hoping that, at the very least, the contest would head to a three-swing swing-off. That was not in the cards.

“My thought was Philly is brutal,” Walker said. “I mean, honestly. But I think it’s pretty special because they love their players and that’s what you want from your home, like, where you play. I mean, I’d never hear people cheer so loud for, like, Schwarber and Harper. And those guys did their thing, for sure.

“But, you know, I can’t hate them, because that’s their guy, so I just got to play the game.”

Walker began his evening slugging 13 first-round home runs, tied for the highest round in the contest. He needed just six to advance past last year’s runner-up, Junior Caminero, in the second round, then launched 12 in the final round for the statement win. In total, he blasted 31 home runs.

He is the first Cardinal to win the Home Run Derby.

This year’s Derby brought back the original swing-based format that made the event so endearing to fans, eschewing the time-based rule set that had been in place in some form since 2015.

Hitters were limited to 20 swings in the first round, and 15 each in the second and final rounds. Each swing counted against the total, though hitters were allowed to continue swinging if they connected for a home run on their final hack of a round, until they made an out.

Tiebreakers of distance (first round) and three swing swing-offs (second and final rounds) were also in place, with the former determining the semifinal seeding.

Schwarber advanced to the final by edging Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox 9-8 in the second round, much to the delight of the home crowd, who cheered every out he made.

“You can’t say enough about how (Walker) was able to kind of slow the moment down, too, and lock it in,” said Schwarber. “All of our fans were we’re raring and trying to will me to it.”

The Phillies fans were dealt an early disappointment in the opening round when star first baseman Bryce Harper, the 2018 Home Run Derby champion, failed to advance with eight home runs.

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami (nine homers), Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone (eight) and New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (seven) were also eliminated in the opening round.