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Tonight, a Philadelphia Phillie Will Win the Home Run Derby for the First Time in 20 Years
Published:
Home Run Derby tonight, Monday, at 8 p.m.
Here are the latest odds with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper representing the Phils:
Schwarbs leads Major League Baseball with 32 dingers at the break, so he goes in as the 22% favorite on home soil at Citizens Bank Park. Junior Caminero has 28 home runs and is second on the list at 20%, while Bryce Harper is way down at 10%.
For background, Harper won the Derby in 2018 as a Washington National. And he won it over… Kyle Schwarber, who was a Chicago Cub at the time. That was one of the better nights in recent Derby history, with Bryce winning every single round by just one dinger. He went 13-12 over Freddie Freeman, 13-12 over Max Muncy, and then 19-18 over Schwarbs, and Schwarbs beat Rhys Hoskins in the semifinals by a 21-20 score. It was really competitive.
Harper’s other Derby appearance was in 2013, when he fell just short against the A’s Yoenis Cespedes. He was 20 years old and playing his sophomore MLB season. Schwarber competed in 2022, but lost in the opening round to Albert Pujols in a swing-off.
Further, no Phillie has won the Derby since 2005 and 2006, when Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard went back-to-back in Detroit and Pittsburgh, respectively. Abreu hit 41 homers to trounce the competition of Pudge Rodriguez, Carlos Lee, and David Ortiz. Howard hit 23 home runs to squeeze past New York’s David Wright.
So we’re due for a win. Schwarber has never won it, and the Phils haven’t claimed a Derby in two decades. We’ve got two guys competing and this is being held at CBP. Praise be, it happens tonight.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com