Jordan Walker didn’t just win the Home Run Derby on Monday night. He stole it. And the guy who knows more about hitting home runs than almost anyone alive called it the best derby he’s ever watched.
Barry Bonds, speaking on Netflix’s post-derby show, didn’t hold back.
“I thought this was the greatest home run derby I’ve ever seen,” Bonds said.
Coming from the all-time MLB home run leader with 762 career dingers and a Home Run Derby win of his own 20 years ago, that’s not throwaway praise. Bonds beat Mark McGwire in that 2006 final and needed just three homers to do it. Walker’s path was harder by a mile.
The St. Louis Cardinals right fielder came back from three home runs down in the final round against Kyle Schwarber, who had the entire Citizens Bank Park crowd on his side. Walker got down to his last swing. Under the derby’s new rule, as long as the final swing goes out, you keep swinging. Walker hit four straight bombs to snatch the trophy from the Phillies slugger in what felt like a movie script nobody believed until it happened.
Bonds zeroed in on Walker’s composure when everything was stacked against him.
“You were so calm. You used your hands well. You never cared how far the ball went. It was probably the most amazing thing. And for me to say it, brother, Imma tell you right now. To come back from 11 with only 15 (swings), brother, you got my trophy too,” Bonds said.
That’s the kind of praise that sticks. Schwarber has been one of baseball’s most dangerous power hitters for years and he had the crowd roaring every time he made contact. Walker didn’t flinch. He just kept swinging until the balls stopped leaving the yard, which took a while.
Walker’s win also made history beyond the individual moment. He became the first Home Run Derby champion in Cardinals franchise history. For a team with that kind of pedigree, that’s a weird stat. It’s not weird anymore.
Bonds remains a complicated figure thanks to the PED questions that shadow his career, but nobody argues about his eye for hitting. When he says a derby was the best he’s seen, it carries weight. And for a 23-year-old outfielder still building his name, hearing that from a legend might mean more than the trophy itself.
The Phillies fans who packed the park got a show, even if it didn’t end the way they wanted. Walker gave them something to remember anyway.
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