Jordan Walker Hits Three-Run Home Run to Extend Cardinals Lead Over Reds
- Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker won the 2026 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby on July 13, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, according to reporting...
- According to amNewYork, Walker started the final round slowly by hitting four home runs in his first eight at-bats.
- Earlier in the competition, Walker advanced past Tampa Bay Rays player Junior Caminero in the semifinals by hitting six homers in eight attempts, according to amNewYork.
St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker won the 2026 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby on July 13, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, according to reporting by amNewYork. The 24-year-old rising star secured the title by hitting three home runs in his final attempt to edge out Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Road to the 2026 Title at Citizens Bank Park
According to amNewYork, Walker started the final round slowly by hitting four home runs in his first eight at-bats. He then caught fire with six more, before blasting three on his final attempt to tie the score and hitting his 12th to surpass Schwarber’s leading mark of 11.
Schwarber had energized his home crowd by crushing four homers in his first seven attempts before smashing another seven to reach 11, as reported by amNewYork. By winning the event, Walker became the first Cardinals player to capture the Home Run Derby crown, earning $1 million in prize money that reportedly outweighed his total earnings accumulated this season.
Semifinal Matchups and Early Round Performances
Earlier in the competition, Walker advanced past Tampa Bay Rays player Junior Caminero in the semifinals by hitting six homers in eight attempts, according to amNewYork. Caminero, who finished as runner-up the previous year, fell short in that round with five deep shots.
In the second semifinal matchup cited by amNewYork, Schwarber went deep nine times to defeat Wilson Contreras, who finished with eight. Contreras had established a strong early presence in the first round by smashing 13 homers, including 10 in his first 15 attempts, and hitting one of the longest balls of the evening at 490 feet.
Additional first-round performances featured Jac Caglianone crushing four consecutive dingers to finish with eight, Munetaka Murakami going deep nine times in his first Derby appearance, and New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice falling short of matching the leaders with seven home runs, according to amNewYork. Phillies All-Star Bryce Harper also exited early after hitting eight home runs, missing the cut for the final rounds.
