Thanks to one of the best Home Run Derby finishes ever, Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker rallied to upset Phillies star Kyle Schwarber in the 2026 Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Walker hit six home runs on his final six swings, including four with the "final ball" to come back and beat Schwarber, stunning the decidedly pro-Schwarber crowd.
The final tally was 12-11 in the final round. Here is Walker's final swing to win it:
"I was once told you don't boo nobodies," Walker said on the Netflix broadcast after hearing loud boos throughout his final round (and loud cheers whenever he made an out).
Walker is the first Cardinals player to win the Home Run Derby. He denied Schwarber the chance to become the fourth player to win the Derby in his home ballpark. Bryce Harper (2018 at Nationals Park), Todd Frazier (2015 at Great American Ball Park), and Ryne Sandberg (1990 at Wrigley Field) are still the only three men to win the Home Run Derby at home.
As the Derby winner, Walker banked $1 million in prize money (more than the $799,400 he's set to earn this year). Schwarber takes home $500,000 as the runner-up. The other six players received $150,000 each. Here now are the final home run totals and our takeaways from the 2016 Home Run Derby.
MLB dumped the clock this year and went to a swing-based format. Players were given 20 swings in the first round and, on the "final ball," they could continue swinging as long as they hit a home run. The top four home run totals advanced to the second round, and any ties would have been broken by the longest home run distance.
After the first round, the four semifinalists were paired up in a 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 head-to-head bracket based on their first-round home run totals. Here are the results:
No. 1 Willson Contreras: 8 HR (eliminated)
No. 4 Kyle Schwarber: 9 HR
No. 2 Jordan Walker: 6 HR
No. 3 Junior Caminero: 5 HR (eliminated)
Players were given 15 swings in the semifinals, not 20, and they could again continue swinging on the "final ball" as long as they hit a home run. If there had been a tie, there would have been a three-swing swing-off.
The finals are simple. Most homers win. Schwarber went first and had the Philly crowd buzzing with 11 home runs. Walker then stepped in, hit only eight homers on his 13 swings, then rattled off six straight homers (four with the "final ball") to come back and win the Home Run Derby. It was as dramatic a finish as we've ever seen in this event.
I was concerned the new swing-based format would turn the Home Run Derby into the Take Pitches Derby, but that wasn't the case. The pace was good throughout. Also, no more clock meant home runs had a chance to breathe. We could watch and enjoy them all without being rushed into the next swing. No clock meant we could fully enjoy Jac Caglianone visiting the upper deck:
I expected more upper deck shots, but only Caglianone went up there, and he did it on back-to-back swings. For sure, though, the new format is very good. Good pace and it makes for a better broadcast. Thumbs up 👍.
He leaned into it, too. It's Philadelphia, so every player except Harper and Schwarber was booed during the introductions, but only Contreras egged on the crowd. He did so again before his first round, which was very impressive. Contreras set the bar high as the first batter of this year's Home Run Derby. He hit 13 homers in the first round, including four of the night's eight longest dingers.
Contreras was matched up with Schwarber in the semifinals and the Philly crowd let him hear it. He was booed constantly during his round and every swing that didn't result in a home run was cheered. Sure enough, it came down to the final swing. Schwarber hit nine homers. Contreras had eight with one swing left. When he popped up on his final swing, the Citizens Bank Park crowd erupted like the Phillies won the World Series. Check it out:
Contreras played a great heel. He had fun with the crowd and smiled at the boos.
Caminero, last year's Home Run Derby runner-up to Cal Raleigh, has hit 50 home runs since last year's All-Star break, second most in baseball behind Schwarber's 58. Caminero had this year's Home Run Derby's longest homer, a 492-foot shot in the semifinals:
Hitting the night's longest homer earned Caminero an additional $100,000 in prize money. He also had the two hardest hit balls of the night, two 116 mph exit velocities in the first round. Caminero only hit five home runs in the semifinals, which was a bit underwhelming, though he certainly clobbered some of the night's most majestic blasts.
Schwarber and Harper, the two hometown Phillies, were the last two batters to hit in the first round. Once Schwarber hit 10 and bumped Murakami out of the semifinals, it guaranteed a Phillie would advance. Which one? The only way Schwarber could be eliminated was if Harper eliminated him. So, it was Phillie vs. Phillie for the last semifinals spot.
Harper clinched the tiebreaker over Schwarber with a 482-foot blast, but he ultimate fell two homers short of advancing. Here is that 482-foot homer, which cleared the second deck and landed on Ashburn Alley:
Harper and Schwarber have faced off in the Home Run Derby before. This wasn't quite as dramatic as the 2018 finals, when Harper edged out Schwarber 19-18 at Nationals Park, but it was still a fun moment for the hometown crowd.
With four homers on the "final" ball, Jordan Walker comes back to beat Kyle Schwarber in the 2026 Home Run Derby. He hit six homers on his final six swings. The final tally was 12-11. The Citizens Bank Park crowd is stunned. Walker is the first Cardinals player to ever win the Home Run Derby. What a tremendous rally. All-time great ending there.
We are tied. Walker ties it up 11-11 on the final ball.
There's No. 10! One more to tie.
Eight homers and he's down to his final ball. Gotta hit at least three here to send it to a tiebreaker.
He has 8 HR. Needs to hit three straight to keep this thing going.
Six homers with three swings remaining. Gonna be tough.
Walker will have to hit multiple homers on the "final" ball. The math doesn't work otherwise.
Five homers, five swings remaining. DRAMA.
Four homers with eight swings remaining for Walker. The crowd is loving every out.
That was 11 homers on 15 swings for Schwarber.
Jordan Walker will soon be stepping to the plate, but for now the crowd is getting hyped via a fictional Philly legend.
He homered on 11 of his first 15 swings and just missed with the extra ball. Still, that was one hell of a showing and it'll likely win him the Home Run Derby. Jordan Walker has easy power, though, so this is not over.
There's the first "final" ball homer of the night. Schwarber finishes with 12. What a round.
Nine homers with two swings left for Schwarber. He's locked in.
It's Schwarber vs. Walker in the finals. Schwarber will hit first.
A reminder (just in case) that the tiebreaker is a three-swing swing-off
Willson Contreras is SUCH a good heel.
They were relatively dead during Walker vs. Caminero, but the cheering for Schwarber and now booing for Contreras is strong.
He went 9 for 15 in homers. It's a tall order for Willson Contreras, who tied for the lead with 13 in the first round. He went first, though, so he's been down for a while. Will he be cold?
I'd guess no.
Also, he's playing up his role as villain to the Philly crowd. Good stuff.
He's jamming to Motley Crue
Former Cubs teammates squaring off here. They both won a World Series ring in 2016. Contreras debuted midseason while Schwarber missed nearly all season with a torn ACL and returned to DH in the World Series.
No. 1 Willson Contreras (8 HR) (eliminated) vs. No. 4 Kyle Schwarber (9 HR)
No. 2 Jordan Walker (6 HR) vs. No. 3 Junior Caminero (5 HR) (eliminated)
There are 15 swings in the semifinals, not 20.
The Philly hitter moving on will be noted Indiana Hoosier Kyle Schwarber.
(Related: The Indiana Hoosiers won the national championship. In football. Yes, for real)
Eight homers and one swing left for Harper. He needs two to advance.
Batters eye shots are more fun than upper deck down the lines
Bryce gets hits first on his fourth swing.
Kyle Schwarber currently holds down the fourth spot to advance. He will unless his teammate Bryce Harper passes him. Only one will move on.
Love this camera angle:
