Philadelphia Phillies slugger and former Middletown High School standout Kyle Schwarber was trying to do something in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby that only former Cincinnati Reds fan favorite Todd Frazier and two others have done: winning the derby in their home park.And Schwarber was one homer away from beating the St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker in the final, on the 11th anniversary of Frazier's derby win at Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015.Walker refused to send Phillies' fans home happy, knocking off Schwarber.The other two to accomplish Frazier's feat were former Chicago Cub Ryne Sandberg in 1990 at Wrigley Field, and Schwarber's current Philly teammate, Bryce Harper, in 2018 at Nationals Park when Harper played for the Nats.Harper also participated in the 2026 derby, but didn't make it out of the first round. Schwarber was with the Chicago Cubs when he finished as the runner-up to Harper in the 2018 derby.Earlier, Schwarberappeared on "Pat McAfee Show"talked about how the Home Run Derby reminds him of growing up as a Reds fan and pretending he was Reds Hall of Famer and former Moeller High School standout Ken Griffey Jr.Schwarber has hit 28 home runs against the Reds, more than he's homered against any opponent.When Schwarber homered July 7 off of Reds starter Andrew Abbott in the third inning of theReds' 4-1 lossin their series opener, Schwarber did something he hadn't done previously against Cincinnati and has rarely done throughout his MLB career:homering on a 3-0 count.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Todd Frazier remains 1 of 3 to win MLB Home Run Derby in home ballpark

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CITIZENS BANK BALLPARK (Philadelphia) Talk about a star-studded cast of sluggers. This years Home Run Derby was set against the backdrop of a sea of red-jerseyed Phillies fans that overtook Citizens Bank Park to watch their hometown sluggers represent their city. The lineup consisted of the Red Sox Willson Contreras, the Cardinals Jordan Walker, the White Sox Munetaka Murakami, the Rays Junior Caminero, the Yankees Ben Rice, the Royals Jac Caglianone, and finally, the Phillies Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Mike Trouts prediction of who would win the Derby was, without hesitation, "Harp." But he was quick to throw in some support for Caminero, too, saying, "But I think Junior might. Juniors nice." Lets just say Trout is exceptionally better at hitting baseballs than he is at forecasting the future. Here are my takeaways from yet another exciting Home Run Derby: 1. Walker, 12. Schwarber, 11. Schwarber advanced to the finals after knocking out Contreras in the semifinals. He was made for this. On the biggest stages under the brightest lights, Schwarber is a showman. In the final round, Schwarber was so in the zone that he even started walking to first base after his 10th home run of the final round before returning to the plate. After each swing and every ensuing home run, his Phillies All-Star teammates in Harper, Brandon Marsh, Jess Luzardo and Jhoan Duran spilled onto the field and raised their arms as they hyped up Schwarber. When Scharber hit his seventh home run with five swings still remaining, Harper declared to his teammates, "Its over." He finished his Derby with 11 home runs in the final round, and then it was up to Walker to try and spoil the storybook ending in front of 43,000 Phillies fans. And spoil he did. Walker got off to a slow start in the final round, but then he homered five straight times to tie Schwarber at 11 apiece. With his final swing, Walker blasted it to left field, securing his 12th and final home run, and flew into the air. Walker became the first-ever St. Louis Cardinals player to win the Home Run Derby. 2. Hometown Heroes Battle It Out The first round came down to the two Phillies. Only four of the eight participants advanced to the second round, and after Willson Contreras and Jordan Walker each cranked 13 home runs, and Junior Caminero launched 12, there was only one spot left. Schwarber and Harper were the final two sluggers to step into the box in the first round. Schwarber, who was in the batting cage getting practice swings in before his name was called, got off to a rough start. He started 0-for-5, and the home crowd started to get nervous. Schwarber shook it off, told his throwing partner, Phillies assistant hitting coach Rafael Pena, "Were good." And he stepped back into his batting stance. Suddenly, Schwarber went on a ridiculous run, parking 10 home runs in his final 14 swings. Then it came down to Harper. He needed 11 home runs to surpass his teammate and advance to the second round. If they tied, then Harper held the advantage because he hit a home run farther than Schwarber did. Alas, Harper fell short with eight homers and was eliminated from the Derby after the first round. In 2018, the Nationals' Bryce Harper beat the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber in the finals to win the Home Run Derby. Perhaps it was only fair that Schwarber was the one who knocked Harper out this year. "I wanted both of us to move on," Schwarber told MLB Networks Lauren Shehadi on the field afterward. "If I wouldve done my job a little bit better, probably wouldve had a better chance for both of us to move on. But super proud of him and what he means to us as a team, us as an organization, and us as Philadelphia. Were lucky to have No. 3 on our side, Ill tell you that." 3. New Format, More Takes This years Home Run Derby introduced a new swing-based format that eliminated the timer, which had been in place since 2015, and the bonus round. Eight players still made up the field, but instead of aiming to hit as many home runs as possible in a timed round, participants started each round with a set number of swings. The first round had 20 swings, the second round had 15, and the third and final round also had 15. The one caveat: if a player homered on his final swing of a round, he can keep swinging until he fails to hit one out. For those of us who have been watching the Home Run Derby for a long time, it was pretty jarring to see the timer disappear on Monday. It took some time to adjust to the flow of the new swing-based format, which in general felt more laid back without the pressure of the clock ticking. It also led to more takes. Since only their swings counted, players were free to take as many pitches from their throwing partners as they wanted. The Red Sox Willson Contreras was putting on a show in the first round, slugging 13 home runs in 19 swings. Then, when he had one final swing remaining, he took four pitches before he saw one he wanted to hit. By the time he took his fourth pitch, the crowd venomously booed him, because they wanted to see some action. This back-and-forth of taking pitches and getting booed continued in the semifinals round, but as usual, the always-fiery Contreras didnt seem to mind the noise. 4. Rice Doesnt Cook Historically, the Yankees have performed well at the Home Run Derby. The Bronx Bombers are tied for the most Derby champions in MLB history with four individual winners: Aaron Judge (2017), Robinson Cano (2011), Jason Giambi (2002), and Tino Martinez (1997). So, the pressure was on for Ben Rice, the latest Yankee to participate in the Derby, to go the distance. But Rice didnt cook on Monday night. It took him a long time and too many swings to get into a groove, and by the time he did, he only hit seven home runs, which was the worst performance out of all the contestants. No matter the final result, it was clear that Rice had too much fun participating in his first-ever Home Run Derby. During pre-Derby introductions, Rice received the loudest boos out of all eight participants from the Philly crowd. Rice loved it. He laughed hysterically hearing the boos and shouted, "Bring it on." When Rice finished the first round, red in the face and completely exhausted, he smiled and hugged his dad, his throwing partner, before walking off the field.

The UCLA shortstop bests the previous record, held by Chase Burns and Charlie Condon

The summer of fun in South Philadelphia continues this week with events surrounding the MLB All-Star Game.Phillies fans were out in full force as Citizens Bank Park played host to the 2026 Home Run Derby on Monday night.The last time Philadelphia hosted the All-Star Game was in 1996 at Veterans Stadium. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber were just three years old. On Monday, both All-Stars had the opportunity to participate in the Home Run Derby.Samantha Donnelly, of Churchville, was one of the many Phillies fans who got to the ballpark early."This is my first Home Run Derby game, so I'm excited to see Kyle, Bryce Harper, hopefully hit some home runs. I wanna see Philadelphia get the W."Hours before the Derby started, the Bank was packed with people heading to the pro shop and hanging out in Ashburn Alley.Action News spoke with Juan Namnun as he made his way through the crowd."I mean this is like Route 76 at 5:30 on a Wednesday night," Namnun said.But Namnun said he was thrilled to be in the bumper-to-bumper traffic."This is heaven. This is baseball heaven tonight."Just above him, Sue Tamny and her family sat in the bleachers gearing up for the night ahead of them. Tamny called this a bucket list experience."I don't know why, but I've always loved the All-Star Game," she explained. "So when it was coming to Philadelphia, I said I wanna go! I don't know how, but I gotta go."

DALLAS STADIUM Lamine Yamal has no fear. We already knew that about the teenage sensation, who turned 19 on Monday one day before the biggest match of his young career. He looked every bit the superstar while confidently addressing a packed room of reporters, diamond necklaces draped around his neck. Spain faces France in the World Cup semifinal Tuesday afternoon at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, with a place in the final on the line. It marks the third straight summer the two nations have met in the semifinals of a major tournament. Spain won the previous two encounters a dramatic 5-4 victory in the 2025 Nations League and a 2-1 triumph at Euro 2024. Yamal played in both of those matches. He was just 16 during the Euros, when he became the youngest goalscorer in men's major tournament history by scoring a stunning equalizer against France. Spain went on to lift the European Championship trophy, and Yamal was named the tournament's best young player. He has since helped Barcelona win back-to-back La Liga titles. Theres plenty more accolades and trophies to come. And he hopes that starts with another victory over Les Bleus on Tuesday. "Tomorrow will be a very special day," Yamal said via interpreter during Mondays press conference. While soccers most famous stars have dominated headlines at this World Cup, Yamal has been on the quieter side of things. Even his younger brother has captured the hearts of fans around the world. Yamal, though, has scored only once, with 10 shots on target. He entered the summer recovering from a left hamstring injury, but quickly regained his fitness and scored 10 minutes into his first World Cup start in Spains 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the group stage. On Spains social media account, Yamal called it "the most important goal I have scored so far." Monday, the spotlight was on him. Hes aware his performances have been debated in the media. But any criticism doesnt seem to faze him. "Everyone is saying that Im not giving my best performance," Yamal said via interpreter. "So you shouldnt expect anything from me." After Spains 2-1 win over Belgium last week, Yamal was asked about playing France again in a knockout game. Given the teams' recent history, he said that "if France has to fear anyone, it should be us, in my opinion. We were the ones that knocked them out before." Yamal answered honestly when asked about those comments. "I was asked whether I feared France, and I said no because we are the European champions," Yamal said, plainly. "And we dont fear anyone." French players mostly seemed unbothered by what Yamal said. "For me, its a sign of confidence," defender Jules Kound, who plays with Yamal at Barcelona, said via interpreter. "He always does this. So I see nothing as an extra motivation for him and thats it, thats all." Added Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, through translation: "Football is a team sport. Lamine has extraordinary qualities. He can do anything shoot the ball, dribble, pass the ball, everything. "But we also have our qualities. We have our attacking players, we have substitutes, its a collective sport. And before talking about Lamine, we should talk about all of Spain. They have world-class players in all positions, and the same goes for our squad." The stars will be out for both semifinals. Kylian Mbapp and Lionel Messi are dueling for the Golden Boot with both currently sitting on eight goals. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are carrying Englands hopes of ending decades of heartbreak. Spains depth and defensive prowess have been among the most dominant forces at this World Cup. But against France, eyes will be on Yamal in his greatest test yet. "I just told him to be calm tomorrow, to enjoy and to forget about anxiety," Spain manager Luis de la Fuente told reporters on Monday. "He should enjoy football, as he does. And a big day from Lamine is yet to come at this World Cup. So I hope tomorrow is his day. If not, the final, if we qualify."

From Lionel Messi's magic, France's defensive questions, and everything in between

Caleb Wilson cooled down Monday night from his 35-point, 7-of-11 effort from 3 in his Summer League debut.But the electric Chicago Bulls rookie still managed to put on a show in his second NBA exhibition appearance in an 80-63 loss to the Utah Jazz. He saved his best for last.With 5:18 remaining in the fourth quarter of what had largely been a sleepy game in Las Vegas, Wilson woke the remaining crowd up. He started his dribble from beyond the 3-point arc at the top of the key, then shifted left and shed his defender as he attacked the basket. He then leapt from beyond the restricted area over a help defender at the rim and threw down the bucket of the Summer League. He followed it up with a 3-pointer on Chicagos ensuing possession and a blocked shot on the other end that was confirmed on replay review.CALEB WILSON THROWS DOWN A NASTY POSTER DUNK ON JONAS AIDO OH MY GOD!WITH REPLAYSHe then continues to hit a 3-pointer, and BLOCKS Aidoo at the other end (5th blocks), after a coach's challenge pic.twitter.com/au7tVd5hpW MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 14, 2026The highlight bucket wasnt quite a dunk. His hand never touched the rim. But he threw the ball through the rim from above with force with will only enhance the buzz around the athletic rookie. It got the attention of Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson who watched from the baseline in street clothes, having been given the night off.This dude is going to be a highlight machine pic.twitter.com/r61ODxrIvK Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) July 14, 2026As for his final tally Monday night, Wilson wasnt nearly as efficient as he was in his Summer league debut while shooting 8 of 17 from the field and missing all six of his free throw attempts. But he still managed a strong all-around line that demonstrates his upside as a two-way threat in the NBA. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 turnovers. His zero at the free-throw line touches on the shooting concerns that he carried to the NBA from college. He countered with another strong effort from 3 while shooting 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

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