Justin Verlander gives pitching lesson before All-Star Game
Justin Verlander reveals his pitch grip and strategy ahead of his final All-Star Game appearance.
Jordan Walker became the first St. Louis Cardinals player to win the MLB Home Run Derby when he put together a crazy rally late in the final to wow the Citizens Bank Park crowd rooting for hometown hero Kyle Schwarber.
It looked like Schwarber would win after hitting 11 in the final, but Walker hit a home run on his final six swings, silencing the Philadelphia crowd.
Phillies slugger Schwarber and Bryce Harper had fans, but Harper was eliminated in the first round. Harper was the last player to win the Derby at home in 2018, when he was still with the Washington Nationals, and Schwarber finished runner-up that year at Nationals Park.
Walker, 24, made his debut in 2024 and had a breakout season with the Cardinals, hitting 22 home runs, 74 RBIs, and stealing 13 bases at the end of the season.
Willson Contreras led the way after the first round with 13 RBIs as the first hitter that night. Walker followed suit with 13 of his own, and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero and Schwarber joined the pair in the semifinals.
Schwarber set a career high with 56 home runs last season and led the majors with 32 at the All-Star break.
Kyle Schwarber boosts the crowd and faces Jordan Walker of the Cardinals in the final round.
- Kyle Schwarber: 11 HR
- Jordan Walker: 12 HR
- Jordan Walker (6HR) def. Junior Caminero (5HR)
- Kyle Schwarber (9 HR) def.Wilson Contreras (8 HR)
The Boston Red Sox slugger had two chances to tie Schwarber, with the crowd booing him every time he took a swing, but he fell short, and the final game was a matchup between Schwarber and Jordan Walker.
Schwarber hit seven home runs at one point, but ended up hitting just nine out of 15 swings. This will be very difficult for Contreras to break.
Walker exited his semifinal match against Junior Caminero with seven swings remaining, conserving his energy for the final.
The Tampa Bay Rays slugger is trying to become the youngest player to win the Home Run Derby, but he hit only five home runs out of 15 swings in the semifinals. That included his longest home run ever, at 491 feet.
Advance to the final four, longest home run is tiebreaker
- Wilson Contreras, Red Sox – 13 home runs (longest: 490 feet)
- Jordan Walker, Cardinals – 13 HR (470′)
- Junior Caminero (Rays) – 12 HR (487′)
- Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) – 10 HR (461 feet)
- Jack Carianone, Royals – 8 HR (477′)
- Munetaka Murakami, White Sox – 9 HR (466′)
- Ben Rice, Yankees – 7 HR (443′)
- Bryce Harper, Phillies – 8 HR (482′)
Bryce Harper clinched the first round on his home field, the moment fans had been waiting for, but he was eliminated after hitting just eight home runs. Harper won the Home Run Derby at Nationals Park in 2018 while playing for Washington.
Local hero Kyle Schwarber led MLB in home runs at the All-Star break, but he failed to hit a home run in his first five swings. He found his groove and ended up scoring 10 points and hitting some absolute bombs in the ballpark he calls home.
Last year’s runner-up, Caminero, 23, lost to Cal Rory in Atlanta 2025. He had 12 hits in the first round tonight, falling one short of the lead, but will likely secure a spot in the next round.
Ben Rice was the fifth batter in the Home Run Derby and the lowest hitter of any player thus far, finishing the round with seven home runs, the longest being 443 feet.
The Yankees slugger entered the All-Star break with 29 home runs, third in MLB behind Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez.
Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami had a decent round, hitting nine home runs at Citizens Bank Park.
Royals slugger Jack Carianone followed Walker and Contreras as he swung toward the short porch of the right-field seats at Citizens Bank Park. He finished the round with eight home runs, the longest being 477 home runs.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker was the No. 2 batter of the night, hitting three home runs on his first four swings.
Walker grew tired as the rounds went on, but ultimately tied Contreras with 13 home runs, the longest hit of 470 feet.
Boston’s Willson Contreras was the leadoff batter that night, hitting seven home runs on his first 10 swings.
Contreras finished the round with 13 home runs out of his allotted 20 swings, setting the bar incredibly high for the rest of the field. His longest home run of the round was 490 feet.
Eight participants in this year’s Home Run Derby entered the ring (literally) as Bryce Harper wowed fans at his home stadium.
How to watch the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby
This year’s Home Run Derby will not be available on broadcast or cable TV, only streaming on Netflix.
- date: Monday, July 13th
- time: 8pm ET
- position: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia)
- Streaming: Netflix
(The number in parentheses is the total number of home runs during the All-Star break)
Home run derby odds
Odds as of noon ET on Monday, July 13th via BetMGM
- Kyle Schwarber: +280
- Junior Caminero: +350
- Munetaka Murakami: +600
- Jack Kalianin: +700
- Jordan Walker: +800
- Bryce Harper: +900
- Ben Rice: +900
- Wilson Contreras: +1400
This year’s Home Run Derby will feature several format changes, the most notable being the elimination of the timer. Instead, each of the eight participants is assigned a set number of swings, and every swing is counted. Batterers are required to take 20 swings in the first round and 15 swings in the semifinals and finals. If a player hits a home run on his last swing of the round, he can continue hitting until that swing no longer results in a home run. —John Luzzi
After putting together a record-setting first half, Cal Lowry won the 2025 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby at Trust Park, earning him the title of baseball’s top slugger.
The Seattle Mariners slugger, who hit 38 home runs before the All-Star break, the second-most in MLB history, hit 22-year-old Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays in the final, becoming the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby.
With his father a pitcher and younger brother a catcher, Lowry becomes the second Mariners player to win the Derby, joining Hall of Famer and three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr. — Jesse Yomtov
- 1985: Dave Parker, Reds
- 1986: Wally Joyner, Angels & Darryl Strawberry, Mets
- 1987: Andre Dawson, Cubs
- 1988:Not held
- 1989: Eric Davis, Reds & Ruben Sierra, Rangers
- 1990: Ryne Sandberg, Cubs
- 1991: Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles
- 1992: Mark McGwire, Athletics
- 1993: Juan Gonzalez, Rangers
- 1994: Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners
- 1995: Frank Thomas, White Sox
- 1996: Barry Bonds, Giants
- 1997: Tino Martinez, Yankees
- 1998: Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners
- 1999: Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners
- 2000: Sammy Sosa, Cubs
- 2001: Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks
- 2002: Jason Giambi, Yankees
- 2003: Garrett Anderson, Angels
- 2004: Miguel Tejada, Orioles
- 2005: Bobby Abreu, Phillies
- 2006: Ryan Howard, Phillies
- 2007: Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
- 2008: Justin Morneau, Twins
- 2009: Prince Fielder, Brewers
- 2010: David Ortiz, Red Sox
- 2011: Robinson Cano, Yankees
- 2012: Prince Fielder, Tigers
- 2013: Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics Department
- 2014: Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics Department
- 2015: Todd Frazier, Reds
- 2016: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
- 2017: Aaron Judge, Yankees
- 2018: Bryce Harper, Nationals
- 2019: Pete Alonso (Mets)
- 2020: Not held (due to the impact of the new coronavirus)
- 2021: Pete Alonso (Mets)
- 2022: Juan Soto, Nationals
- 2023: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- 2024: Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers
- 2025: Cal Lowry, Mariners
- champion: 1 million dollars
- runner-up: $500,000
- Other participants: $150,000
- Longest home run: $100,000
The 2026 Home Run Derby will be held at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
