Kyle Schwarber hit 11 home runs in the final round of the 2026 Home Run Derby. That felt like a win. Bryce Harper sure thought it was.
Speaking Tuesday before the All-Star Game, Harper told Foul Territory he was convinced the trophy was coming back to Philadelphia after Schwarber’s last round. He wasn’t alone. But Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker had other plans, cranking 12 homers to snatch the title away.
“Yeah, it was great. I tell you the truth, I thought it was over,” Harper said. “I mean, I didn’t think anybody was going to come back on that. And you know, Walk came back. It was an amazing performance by him.”
Schwarber’s night was still a show. He made the finals in front of a Philly crowd that was ready to lose its mind. Harper went out in the first round with eight homers, second-lowest among the eight participants, but that didn’t kill his good mood about the whole weekend.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Harper said. “I mean, obviously, this is the goal, you know, before the season to try to get to the All-Star Game and be here with all these fans. And last night was great. We had a lot of fun.”
Harper’s reaction was genuine and it showed
You could hear it in his voice. He wasn’t doing media training deflection. He genuinely thought Schwarber had done enough. That’s how close it was. Walker needed all 12 of his homers in the final round to pull it off, and Harper gave him full credit for delivering under pressure.
The two Phillies stars were both in the Derby field, which doesn’t happen often for one team. That alone made it a memorable All-Star break for Philly fans. But coming this close to winning it? That stings a little, even if the guys won’t say it directly.
Harper and Schwarber both played in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Then the Phillies get two days off before hosting the Mets on Thursday. Normal baseball stuff resumes.
But for one night, Schwarber almost pulled off something special. And Harper, like everyone else in Philadelphia, thought he had it.
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