PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia made an enemy on the eve of the All-Star Game.
Needing 11 home runs to surpass Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber in the final round and win the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park on July 13, Jordan Walker had eight homers before the magenta ball and its never-ending power were introduced.
Down to his final out, Walker could keep swinging as long as the magenta ball went over the fence. Any non-home run would start a re-coronation of Schwarber, already Philadelphia’s home run king as MLB’s current regular-season leader with 32.
With an easy stride and a smooth swing, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger launched four balls over the left-field wall. He held his bat over his head and then flicked his fingers against his hand, tossing imaginary dollars. The fans quickly exited.
On a night when momentum seemed to be building toward a Schwarber victory, Walker’s extraordinary comeback — hitting four magenta balls and six home runs on his last six swings overall — made him St. Louis’ first Derby champion. It was MLB’s first back-to-basics Derby, which ditched the running clock added in 2015 to allow time for the majesty of each moonshot to be examined.
The sold-out crowd of 43,863 let its disdain for every non-Phillie be known from the introductions of the Derby participants through Walker’s last swing. Even the ball-chasing kids in the outfield earned their own share of boos when a playable ball fell in.
“Philly’s brutal,” Walker said. “I think it’s pretty special because they love their players, and that’s what you want from where you play.”
“I’ve never heard people cheer so loud [as the crowd did] for Schwarber and Harper, and those guys did their thing, for sure. I can’t hate them because that’s their guy.”
Walker hit a total of 31 home runs over three rounds, the most in the Derby. He tied Boston’s Willson Contreras with 13 home runs in the first round, then stopped at six homers with seven swings remaining in the second round after surpassing Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero.
Walker hit six magenta-ball bonus home runs, more than the rest of the field combined.
Schwarber got stronger as the Derby progressed.
He failed to hit a home run in his first five swings of the 20-swing first round but finished with 10 home runs. In the second round, he hit nine before his best display: an 11-home run final round on 15 swings.
At the end of the round, he raised his bat with his left hand and his hat with his right hand to the crowd.
“They were electric all night,” Schwarber said. “We felt the energy from pitch one, and I can’t say enough for what they did tonight. … We left it all out there.”
“I had a blast,” added teammate Bryce Harper, who did not advance out of the first round after hitting eight home runs. “I thought Kyle was going to get his first one and be able to do that. But Walker came out and put an end to that right there, with four in a row to win it. That was cool to see.”
In Philadelphia fashion, the crowd got as loud for the shortcomings of Schwarber’s opponents as it did for his homers.
Boston’s Willson Contreras made a push for Schwarber’s second-round total of nine but ended on a popup with eight home runs, prompting one of the biggest pops of the night from the crowd.
In Walker’s final round, the boos only relented when he hit a line drive or a fly ball fell short of the fence. They returned before the next pitch.
“It was funny,” Schwarber said. “All the guys were walking up when they were getting introduced, and they’re like, ‘Man, the hometown cooking is real here.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it is.’ This is Philadelphia. They want their guys to go out there and do it, and they’re going to try to will the other guys not to.”
Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Jordan Walker stuns Kyle Schwarber for Home Run Derby win in Philadelphia
