Walker hits four straight late homers to beat Schwarber in MLB Derby final

PHILADELPHIA: St. Louis slugger Jordan Walker won Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby on Monday after launching home runs on the last four pitches he faced to edge Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in the final.

The 24-year-old right-handed hitter claimed the $1 million top prize in Schwarber's home ballpark. Schwarber, the MLB home run leader this season with 32, started the final strongly, homering on six of his first eight swings and 10 of the 15 regulation pitches. The 33-year-old also earned extra throws with a home run on his last regulation pitch and added an 11th homer.

Walker, who has 22 home runs this season, hit four homers in his first six swings but went into his final regulation pitch needing a late surge. He drove that last regulation pitch out to move to nine, then cleared the wall with all three of his extra throws to complete the comeback and secure the title.

Semi-finals and opening round

In the semi-finals, Walker beat Tampa Bay's 23-year-old Dominican slugger Junior Caminero 6-5 after hitting home runs on six of eight pitches. Schwarber advanced by defeating Boston's 34-year-old Venezuelan Wilson Contreras 9-8. Schwarber hit nine homers from 15 pitches, while Contreras recovered from missing his first two swings to homer on six of the next seven, but could not draw level.

Walker had also impressed in the opening round, hitting eight home runs in his first 10 pitches and finishing with 13, the same total as Contreras. Caminero posted 12, while Schwarber took the last semi-final spot with 10 after failing to homer on his first five swings. Schwarber then hit 10 home runs across his last 15 swings and advanced when teammate Bryce Harper, batting last in the round, managed only eight.

Also eliminated in the first round were Japanese MLB rookie Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox with nine home runs, Kansas City's Jac Caglianone with eight and New York Yankees player Ben Rice with seven.

All-Star context and format change

The Derby was held in Philadelphia on the eve of the 96th MLB All-Star Game, which brings together leading players from the American League and National League. According to the event format, rule changes for 2026 replaced time limits with a fixed number of pitches, with 20 in the first round and 15 in both the semi-final and final for each participant.

Two major names were absent from the event and will also miss the All-Star Game through injury: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani of Japan and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.