Washington (United States) (AFP) – St. Louis slugger Jordan Walker smashed home runs on the last four pitches he faced on Monday to edge Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby final. The 24-year-old American right-handed hitter defeated the MLB season homers leader in Schwarber’s home ballpark to capture the $1 million top prize.
Schwarber, a left-handed hitter with 32 homers this season, began the head-to-head final with home runs on six of his first eight swings and off 10 of the regulation 15 pitches. The 33-year-old American earned extra throws with a last-pitch homer and belted an 11th to make Walker’s task that much harder.
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Walker, who has 22 homers this season, belted homers on four of his first six swings but came to his final swing three homers behind, needing four in a row for a fightback triumph. The Cardinals outfielder then blasted the first pitch for a homer to end regulation throws on nine, then hit three extra throws in a row over the outfield wall to capture the title.
The annual ball-bashers showcase was staged at Philadelphia on the eve of the 96th MLB All-Star Game, which matches elite talent from the American and National leagues. Rule changes for 2026 eliminated time limits in favor of pre-set numbers of pitches, 20 in round one and 15 in the semi-final and final rounds for each contestant.
In the head-to-head semi-finals, Walker smashed six of eight pitches for homers to defeat last year’s Derby runner-up, 23-year-old Dominican slugger Junior Caminero of Tampa Bay, 6-5. In the other semi, Schwarber edged 34-year-old Venezuelan Wilson Contreras of Boston 9-8.
Schwarber smashed nine homers off 15 pitches to begin while Contreras, who hit eight homers on 11 pitches in round one, missed on his first two swings, homered on six of the next seven but could not manage an equalizer. Walker crushed eight homers on his first 10 pitches in round one and matched Contreras at the top with 13 homers, while Caminero had 12 and Schwarber hit 10 to grab the last semi spot, but only after an 0-for-5 start.
Schwarber homered on 10 of his last 15 swings then watched as teammate Bryce Harper, the final first-round batter, hit only eight homers and was eliminated. Also ousted in the opening round were Japanese MLB rookie Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox with nine homers, Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone with eight, and Ben Rice of the New York Yankees with seven. Los Angeles Dodgers batting and pitching star Shohei Ohtani of Japan and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were not in the Derby and will miss the All-Star Game due to injuries.
© 2024 AFP
