Jordan Walker wins revamped Home Run Derby in Philadelphia

Jordan Walker beat Kyle Schwarber in the final round of the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, finishing with 31 home runs in a tense, down-to-the-wire ending that fit MLB’s new makeover for one of baseball’s flashiest showcases.

The Derby was the first to stream live on Netflix, a distribution choice that underscored how aggressively Major League Baseball is trying to package All-Star Week as a broader entertainment product. MLB also changed the competition itself for 2026, removing the timer that had governed the event since 2015 and returning to a swing-based format that gave hitters more room to build rhythm and to create the sort of longer, more dramatic bursts that play cleanly on television.

That approach put stars front and center. The eight-player field included Schwarber and Bryce Harper, giving Philadelphia two hometown names in the event, along with Ben Rice, Junior Caminero, Willson Contreras, Byron Buxton, Oneil Cruz and Munetaka Murakami. MLB finalized the field on July 10, and the mix paired established power bats with emerging sluggers and international attention, exactly the kind of lineup that broadens the event beyond a single market.

ABC News’ Sam Champion highlighted the biggest moments from the kickoff of baseball’s All-Star Week, which MLB centered in Philadelphia. Along with the Derby, the week included the HBCU Swingman Classic, the All-Star Futures Game, MLBx and the 96th annual All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 14.

The Derby itself delivered the kind of finish MLB wanted from the new format. Walker and Schwarber traded pressure swings in the final round before Walker prevailed, giving the St. Louis Cardinals slugger a signature national-stage win and sending the first swing-based Derby under MLB’s revised rules to a decisive finish. In a sport that increasingly competes for attention against everything else on the screen, the league got a format built around stars, a streaming platform with reach and a result that came down to the last round.