2026 MLB Home Run Derby live updates: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber headline contest among top sluggers in Philadelphia - Yahoo Sports

Jordan Walker is going to be a little less welcome in Philadelphia after the 2026 Home Run Derby.Facing Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber in the final round and down to his last swing, the St. Louis Cardinals' slugger needed three consecutive homers just to tie the local hero. He hit four, stunning the hostile crowd at Citizens Bank Park.With that, Walker became the first Cardinal to win the Derby. He also took home a $1 million prize as champion, a major boost for a pre-arb player making $799,400 this season.JORDAN WALKER, ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!??!WHAT A COME FROM BEHIND PERFORMANCE TO WIN THE 2026 T-MOBILE HOME RUN DERBY! 🔥The T‑Mobile Home Run Derby is LIVE NOW on Netflix! #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/wAV5J15mPB— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) July 14, 2026 Just a few minutes earlier, Schwarber had sent the crowd into a frenzy, with teammate Bryce Harper declaring "it's over" when Schwarber reached seven long balls.Bryce Harper watching Kyle Schwarber: “It’s over.” 😮‍💨The T‑Mobile Home Run Derby is LIVE NOW on Netflix! #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/vemrpgyXrA— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) July 14, 2026 It was an ending only possible under MLB's new Derby rules, which allowed players to keep swinging if they hit a homer on their final swing. What Walker did in the final was exactly what MLB had in mind when it made the change.It was Kyle Schwarber vs. Bryce Harper in the first roundThere was drama before the final as well.After six batters, Willson Contreras, Walker and Junior Caminero were all sitting pretty with 12 or more homers. The final two batters were the local favorites, Schwarber and Harper.Schwarber proceeded to hit 10 homers, eliminating Munetaka Murakami and setting a high bar to clear for his teammate, who had been visibly pumped up when he walked onto the boxing-ring-style stage. Philadelphia would get one — and only one — of its players into the semifinals.That ended up being Schwarber, as Harper hit only eight homers.Down goes Bryce Harper 😮Kyle Schwarber is moving on in the #HRDerbyThe T-Mobile Home Run Derby is LIVE on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/SYq9qMmEhj— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) July 14, 2026 It was something of a repeat of the 2018 Home Run Derby final, in which Harper, then a member of the Washington Nationals, beat Schwarber, then with the Cubs, at Nationals Park.Adding to the fun was Schwarber promising before the contest that a fantasy football-style punishment awaited the lower-performing member of the Phillies. We'll see what that means for Harper.Phillies fans made themselves heard at the Home Run DerbyFandom doesn't usually mean much in the Home Run Derby, but this one was in Philadelphia and featured two members of the local team.Phillies fans gave us an inkling that things would be a bit different when they booed every player not in a Phillies uniform during introductions, but they really made themselves heard in the semifinals and final, booing Contreras and Walker before every pitch and cheering every miss.FIVE IN A ROW FOR WILLSON CONTRERAS 🤯WHAT A SHOWING 👏The T-Mobile Home Run Derby is LIVE on Netflix #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/ql6v2tpoJn— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) July 14, 2026 Did you expect anything else at Citizens Bank Park?How did the Home Run Derby rule change go down?MLB made a major change with the Home Run Derby this year, dropping a clock-based system that initially received positive reviews but left both players and viewers fatigued after a decade of frantic swinging.This year, players got 20 "swings" in the first round and 15 in the subsequent rounds. It was different than the old "outs" system because a player got only 20 swings to hit homers, rather than being allowed to hit them indefinitely as long as they avoided outs.The end result was far fewer homers than in any recent Derby, but there were some dramatic points that would've been lessened under the clock system, such as when Conteras needed one more homer to catch Schwarber in the semifinal and came up short on his last two swings.Willson Contreras almost got hit by a pitch at the Home Run Derby 😂 pic.twitter.com/Mm2AQNAq4C— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 14, 2026 One thing that definitely seemed to need tinkering, at least until the final, was MLB's choice of balls for the final swing of each appearance. Under the new rules, players get to keep hitting if they homer on the last swing, and the league clearly wanted a visual effect for those, much like what the NBA does with its bonus balls in the 3-Point Shootout.Conspicuously few players hit any homers with those balls, and the Netflix broadcast was openly speculating that hitters were having trouble seeing them. Until Walker did what he did in the final.