St. Louis Cardinals rising star Jordan Walker thrilled fans by winning the 2026 Home Run Derby. In a nail-biting final, he defeated Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber with a walk-off home run. Walker hit 12 homers in his last round, surpassing Schwarber’s 11, under MLB’s updated format. His parents witnessed the triumph as he celebrated his achievement as All-Star weekend’s top slugger.
This year, MLB adopted a new format for the Derby where each of the eight participants had 20 swings to hit as many home runs as possible. The twist was that if a player’s last swing resulted in a homer, they would continue until their swing didn’t clear the park.
Boston Red Sox’s Willson Contreras excelled, setting a high standard with 13 home runs. Walker met this challenge, matching Contreras’ count to advance to the semifinals. Kansas City Royals’ Jac Caglianone managed eight homers, while Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami hit nine, falling short of further advancement.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero impressed by hitting 12 homers, outdoing New York Yankees’ Ben Rice, who hit seven. Schwarber and Bryce Harper, as local favorites, needed to excel to progress. Schwarber managed 10 homers, leaving Harper to hit eight, which was not enough to move forward.
During the semifinals, Schwarber regained form with nine homers in 15 swings, edging out Contreras who managed eight. Walker continued his streak by narrowly defeating Caminero 6-5, advancing to the final round.
In the finals, with Schwarber hitting 11 homers, Walker faced significant pressure. Starting strong, Walker nailed four homers, but needed perfection with seven swings remaining. With one swing left, Walker reached 10 homers, eventually tying with Schwarber after patient pitches. A powerful shot to left field sealed Walker’s victory, to the chagrin of the Phillies-heavy crowd.
This season, Walker ranks 10th in MLB with 22 home runs, maintaining a .294 average with 74 RBIs for the Cardinals.
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