Cardinals’ Jordan Walker Wins Home Run Derby on Walk-Off, Denying Schwarber at Home
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker won the 2026 Home Run Derby on a walk-off, edging Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in Philadelphia.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker won the 2026 Home Run Derby on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park, hitting a walk-off home run to beat Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in the final round, according to The Athletic.
Walker entered the final at bat trailing and needing his last swings to catch Schwarber's total of 11. He kept hitting until he tied the mark, then connected once more to secure the win. He is the first player in Cardinals history to win the event.
The result played spoiler in front of a Philadelphia crowd that had been backing Schwarber throughout. The Athletic described a chorus of boos as the backdrop while Walker closed in on the title, with the crowd hoping the contest would push to a three-swing swing-off. It did not.
How Walker got there
Walker's run was consistent from the opening round. He hit 13 home runs in the first round, tied for the highest single-round total of the night with Phillies catcher Willson Contreras. In the second round he needed only six to advance past Junior Caminero, last year's runner-up, who managed five. He finished with 12 in the final for a total of 31 across the competition.
The first-round field also included Jac Caglianone, Munetaka Murakami, Ben Rice and Bryce Harper, all of whom were eliminated. Schwarber advanced with 10 in the opening round and 9 in the second, edging Contreras, who hit 8 in the second round.
A return to the old format
The 2026 Derby brought back the swing-based format that governed the event before the time-based rules introduced in some form since 2015. Hitters were capped at 20 swings in the first round and 15 in each of the second and final rounds. Each swing counted against the total, though a player who homered on the final swing of a round could keep hitting until making an out.
Tiebreakers were built into the format, distance in the first round and three-swing swing-offs in the later rounds, but neither was needed this year.
Walker's title gives the Cardinals a first in a competition that has run for decades without a St. Louis winner. For Schwarber, the runner-up finish at his home ballpark leaves the Phillies without a champion despite the hometown advantage.
