2026 MLB Home Run Derby

There are places that host sporting events,

and then there's Philadelphia, a city where history echoes

from every cobblestone, where our founding fathers fought

for independence, where Rocky tested his cardio.

This is the place America found its voice,

and Philadelphians have been using it to argue

over cheese steaks ever since.

Tonight, no arguing. We let the bats do the talking.

Let dingers ring.

- -

Welcome to the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby

for the first time on Netflix.

And we are back in Philly after a 30-year break.

It's been so long, boys have turned to men.

The vibes are high and the field is absolutely stacked.

Jordan Walker making his first Derby appearance.

Kyle Schwarber has certainly been here before.

Murakami as well. And of course, the headliner, Bryce Harper.

Can he win it at a home ballpark

like he did back in 2018 with the Nationals?

The field featuring those hometown heroes.

Yes, Derby veterans. We've got baseball's next wave.

We've got Harper and Schwarber.

And we've got Junior Caminero returning

with unfinished business from a season ago,

plus five first-time Derby Sluggers who are looking to prove

that they've got the chops.

As we say hello officially from Citizens Bank Park,

I am your host, Elle Duncan.

And something you should know about me,

I like big bets and I cannot lie, which is why I stacked the deck

in my favor, 1,700 between the three of them.

Got my first laugh of the night, too. I appreciate that so much.

Hello to our World Series champ, Anthony Rizzo.

We've got our two-time World Series champ,

three-time MVP Albert Pujols and seven-time MVP

and the undisputed home run king, the one and only Barry Bonds.

You have all been in this atmosphere before.

You have all participated in Derbies.

Give me one word to describe the atmosphere.

- Exciting. - Okay.

- Electric. - Electric.

Celebration, and we get to celebrate the game's biggest stars here

at the Midsummer Classic.

This is where you want to be in Philadelphia

to be in the Home Run Derby, on this stage, on Netflix, is everything.

I love that. You didn't use one word Rizzo

- but that's totally fine. - Celebration!

Still nailed this. I thought in the interest of alliteration

we were gonna go with more E's.

I actually mentioned how much experience you all have here.

Yes, the 1,700 home runs, but 12 appearances in the Derby

between the three of you. 161 home runs total.

Although Albert's carrying most of you guys there

with 106, fourth on the all-time list.

Six Derby appearances for you, Barry Bonds.

What do you remember about participating?

I remember the most important thing for us

at the time when I was doing the Home Run Derby

was it was a celebration for the fans. That's what it was about.

When we came up, it was an honor for us

to be out there and put on a show for the fans.

Albert, you participated in five Derbies yourself.

Safe to say from my vantage that maybe 2022 is the most special

when it came to your appearances?

A hundred percent. I mean, my last year of my career,

you know, at 42 years old, I never thought that I was gonna do it.

But my kids, you know, inspire me to do it. The fans, like Barry said.

And I had a great time in 2022.

I mean, just to see the guys, after I was done, embracing me

like this, that was one of my favorite moments of my career.

- And the All-Star Game. - It was special,

it felt like, from watching at home, because it stopped being a competition

and it was really a thank-you letter for everything

that you contributed to the game.

By the way, that year, you remember, you upset Kyle Schwarber

who was the favorite to win it all in the first round in a swing off.

- Well done, sir. - That was a shocker.

- Yeah. -

And what about you?

One appearance for you, but you went to serve as a guinea pig, Rizzo.

Yeah, I was the first one with the new pitch clock

in 2015 in Cincinnati.

It was an amazing experience.

Like I said, you're front and center stage of the biggest moment in our game.

And being in Cincinnati, leading it off, I was excited about it.

I had no idea what I was getting into with the pitch clock,

but it was nerve-wracking.

I was the first one eliminated, which was unfortunate,

but it was such a fun time.

Yeah, well, the good news is, these current contestants

do not have to worry about that timed format

because the Derby format has changed.

Twenty swings in the first round, not timed, no outs

like when you guys were doing it originally, Barry Bonds.

The top four finishers in round one will advance to the semis.

Something to also keep in mind,

a round cannot end on a home run. So, if they keep mashing,

they're gonna keep getting pitched to.

You like this? You think this is a more hitter-friendly format?

I think it's way better than the clock.

The clock puts your brain rapid fast, and it just doesn't make sense

to go up there and you have to look at the clock.

It's not the NBA. It's not football.

We don't have… You know, baseball has always been

on our own schedule. So the thing is that I like, it's three rounds.

It's not overkilling with the guys. They don't have to do too much.

- Sure. - And three rounds to me is good.

I love the format.

You know, I think it's gonna be less tiring on the players.

But I think the only thing that I would change,

if it's that first round, that tie break,

I would love for them to take a couple more swings,

you know, to break that tie.

- You want a swing off? - The swing off.

That's the only thing that I would change.

Because right now, that rule is

it would be whoever hits the longest home run.

- It would be a distance thing. - Yeah. And it's not fair.

Like, if Barry and I hit a home run, like, yeah, he can hit a 500.

And I hit a 495.

- Right. - And then he goes along.

- I want to see you guys hit all night. - Exactly.

The more that you get the stars swinging, the better for me.

I'm excited that the guys can admire

- their mastery, right? - Yes.

These guys are gonna be hitting a 500-foot home runs,

and they're gonna be able to stand there, admire it,

show their personalities more, let the chains hang.

- Pimp some stuff, you know. Admire it. - Pimp some stuff!

And the broadcast too is gonna be amazing.

You're gonna see how far the ball goes. You're not gonna be rushed

and kind of all over the place on where the balls are going.

I wonder if that's what the Players Association pitched to the league.

You know we should really change this so the players can pimp some stuff

a little bit more at the Derby.

That's funny, because they already pimped during the season!

I mean, what are we trying to see here?

Are we watching… We gonna repeat pimping now.

- Right. - They pimp all year.

- Hey, pimping ain't easy! - Hey I get it.

How about that? I mean, we're looking at some of these faces.

Again, it's a celebratory mood. You said that as well.

The ramp up to the Midsummer Classic, the smiles.

We've got the camaraderie, rivals becoming teammates.

They still want to win, though, right?

- Oh, yeah. - They're still competitive.

Yeah, they want to win.

You definitely do not want to be the first one eliminated, Rizzo.

Oh, come on!

You are, of course, watching the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Netflix.

Coming up right here on our pregame show,

we've got a special delivery of our Derby chain

from an absolute fanatic, you could say.

We have the internet's favorite baseball impersonator

joining us on set to walk us through some famous swings.

We are back, the city of brotherly love,

hosting MLB All-Star for the first time in 30 years,

and for the first time at the Bank.

Much to the delight of our contestants,

this is one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball.

So tonight, the Derby, but tomorrow, the festivities get underway

with the All-Star Red Carpet Show. That's at 2:00 p.m. Eastern

on MLB Network and then the 96th Midsummer Classic

on Fox at 8:00 p.m.

And you are getting some live shots right now

as we are closing in at the top of the hour

for the official Home Run Derby to start.

Outfield's actually getting some licks in right now, a little BP before,

of course, they all count. We see you, Kyle Schwarber.

He is your odds-on favorite to win the Derby tonight.

But Albert, we've got five first-timers, including Ben Rice,

right there that are in this.

What's the biggest adjustment for being in the Home Run Derby?

I think for me it was, you know, in 2003 when I did it,

just not having the batting cage. I mean, it was kind of scary.

You walk into 45,000 people because you don't get used to it.

Like, I don't know about you, Barry and Rizzo,

if you guys got to practice.

I never got to practice like some of these guys do

before they get to the Home Run Derby. So, when I walk out there

without that batting cage, it was scary to me.

So, it took about two or three swings for me to make that adjustment.

No doubt. For me, it was the routine, the whole all-star routine.

You just get thrown off. It's a zoo behind the scenes.

You got media everywhere.

You're down in the tunnel, the batting cage in the tunnel

below the clubhouse. You're hitting. Your whole routine is messed up.

And then you come onto the field, and you want to win.

You don't want to embarrass yourself out there.

You want to perform and put on a show for these fans,

and you're standing at the plate

in front of 40,000 by yourself in the arena.

So, the routine for me was the biggest adjustment you have to make.

Yeah, and what Albert and Rizzo are saying is exactly correct.

When you get out there and they move the cage,

the atmosphere kind of changes a little bit, though.

But for me, once I got past that adjustment,

the other nerves came to me, as I don't wanna be the first one to lose.

And so I think a lot of times, once you get away