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Reviews: The new Derby really workedThe first round of last night’s Home Run Derby worried me. There was no building tension, no extraordinary feats of batting prowess. Just a bunch of really good hitters having a productive batting practice. The semifinals brought pressure, though. Suddenly, the newly scarce number of swings — a rules tweak for this year versus a timed session, as in recent seasons — cranked the intensity. It ended with sheer brilliance:
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is your 2026 Derby champion after hitting a literal walk-off. He homered in his final six swings to beat Kyle Schwarber. It was electric. He needed every allotted swing to win.
And he won in front of a rowdy crowd rooting against him. This year’s All-Star Game is in Philadelphia, where Schwarber plays full time. I wonder what this new format would’ve brought without the vociferous home crowd, but we’ll worry about that next year. Last night, it worked beautifully.
Just look at Walker’s reaction after the final dinger, with some bonus celebration from his parents in the stands:
