The Philadelphia crowd at Citizens Bank Park came ready to cheer for Bryce Harper. And Kyle Schwarber made sure they had plenty of reasons to keep shouting.
Harper kicked off the 2026 Home Run Derby with the kind of show his hometown fans wanted. He launched nine home runs, a few of them flirting with the 500-foot mark. He made a late push in his round. But it wasn’t enough. He fell short of advancing to the semifinals.
Then Schwarber stepped in and did what Schwarber does. He crushed 10 homers in his first appearance, looking like the favorite he was supposed to be. He was tired too. You could see it. But he kept swinging and kept connecting.
Schwarber had 32 home runs this season before the derby. That earned him both an All-Star nod and a place in the field. His last homer before Monday night came back on July 8 against the Reds in Cincinnati. But playing in his own park, with his own fans, he found another gear.
The Other Guys Put Up Numbers Too
It wasn’t just the Phillies show though. Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero smacked 12 homers to advance. That’s a name people are going to remember. Boston’s Willson Contreras opened the evening by ripping 13. He needed four tries on his final swing before he sent one out. Patience paid off.
Jordan Walker from St. Louis matched Contreras with 13 homers. That tied them for the top spot in the first round and sent both into the semifinals.
Schwarber kept rolling in the semis. He hit nine more home runs. The crowd was with him for every single one. Each swing felt like a moment. He didn’t have much left in the tank but the energy in the building carried him through.
Harper’s night ended earlier than he wanted. But the derby belonged to Philadelphia either way. One superstar came up short. Another kept going.
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