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Jordan Walker Stuns Kyle Schwarber With Furious Comeback to Win Home Run Derby
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With virtually the entire crowd at Citizens Bank Park against him, Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker homered on his final six swings of the Home Run Derby to stun fan favorite Kyle Schwarber, 12–11, and win the contest in remarkable fashion.
The hometown fans were treated to watching two Phillies in Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber participate alongside six other stars such as Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, who failed to launch a similar comeback against Schwarber in the semifinals. But Harper was eliminated in the first round and Schwarber fell prey to a furious comeback from Walker, who became the first St. Louis Cardinal to win a Derby.
JORDAN WALKER IS YOUR 2026 HOME RUN DERBY CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/jjLUdXoNeu
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 14, 2026
The event featured a new format this year in a return to an outs-based format after MLB favored a timed event since 2015, and it’s hard to imagine them switching things up again next year after such a dramatic turn of events.
Follow along with our updates from the entire event below.
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Will Laws has been leading Sports Illustrated’s baseball coverage since 2024 and has covered MLB since 2014. Prior to joining the SI staff in February 2020, he previously worked for Yahoo, Graphiq, MLB.com and the Raleigh News & Observer. His work also has appeared on Yahoo Sports, NBA.com and AOL. Laws has a bachelor’s in print and digital journalism with a minor in sports media studies from the University of Southern California.
Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a Breaking and Trending News writer, he worked for the Orange County Register, MLB Advanced Media, Graphiq and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor’s in communication from the University of Southern California.
Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.