The loud boos from the Philadelphia faithful and a three-homer deficit in the finals clearly didn't bother Jordan Walker.
Walker, who put on a show in Citizens Bank Park in the first two rounds of the Home Run Derby, saved his best swings for last. The St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder blasted home runs on each of his last six swings - four of them down to his last swing - to overtake Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and become the 2026 Home Run Derby champion.
"I was once told you don't boo nobodies, so it feels pretty good," Walker said after the event.
By winning the Derby, Walker made history as the first Cardinal to ever win the event; he fittingly did it in front of Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, who participated in the event five times and was runner-up in 2003. Walker is also the fifth-youngest winner in Derby history, at 24 years and 52 days of age.
In contrast, this is the second time that Schwarber finished runner-up in the Derby, as he previously finished second to future teammate Bryce Harper in 2018. Both Schwarber and Harper participated in this year's event, with the latter failing to make it out of the first round.
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Walker hit a grand total of 31 home runs on his way to victory. He impressively hit 13 home runs to match Boston Red Soxfirst baseman Willson Contreras in the first round, with his longest being a 470-foot blast. After a bit of a layoff, Walker picked up where he left off in the second round by hitting six homers to eliminate Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Schwarber hit 30 home runs over the course of the event, with 10 in the first round and nine in the second; he eliminated Contreras from the competition by outhomering him 9-8.
In the finals, MLB's home run leader set a high bar with 11 homers buoyed by both a fast start and a strong finish, as he was the first participant on the night to earn extra swings by homering with one remaining. Walker's remarkable comeback was the only thing that separated Schwarber from the title.
Bowing out in the second round were Caminero and Contreras. The former bashed 12 homers in the first round before tiring in the semifinal and hitting just five more, allowing Walker to knock him out.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old phenom hit the longest dinger of the night, a majestic 491-foot shot, before being eliminated. This was Caminero's second consecutive appearance in the Home Run Derby after finishing runner-up to Cal Raleigh last year.
Contreras also put on a show, especially in the first round. He shared the first round home run lead with Walker by belting 13 homers, but was awarded the tiebreaker due to having the longest homer between the two (490 feet).
He finished just short of Schwarber in the second round by popping out on his final swing with the opportunity to force a swing-off. Ultimately, Contreras impressed with 21 home runs in his first Derby appearance.
Four participants were eliminated in the first round, those being Ben Rice of the New York Yankees (seven homers), Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals (eight), Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox (nine) and Harper (eight).
Caglianone and Harper delivered the most impressive homers of these four, with the former hitting a 477-foot third deck shot to right, and the latter belting a 482-foot blast onto Ashburn Alley.
