PHILADELPHIA — The Home Run Derby was already coming to Citizens Bank Park. Now, at least in part, it will belong to the Phillies.
Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have both committed to Monday night’s Derby, giving the hometown crowd the two left-handed sluggers it wanted most and giving Philadelphia’s first All-Star Week in 30 years an unmistakable local centerpiece.
Harper made his decision public Thursday night with a simple message on Instagram: “Derby at home? Sure why not?” Schwarber followed Friday, officially joining his teammate in the eight-man field for the July 13 event.
This is not the first time teammates have entered the same Derby. It is, however, the first time two active Phillies will compete in the event together.
The last pair of teammates to participate in the same year were Schwarber and Javier Báez with the Chicago Cubs in 2018. One year earlier, Aaron Judge and Gary Sánchez represented the Yankees together, with Judge eventually winning the competition.
The Phillies have produced plenty of Derby history, but traditionally one hitter at a time. Bobby Abreu won in 2005. Ryan Howard followed with another title in 2006, then returned in 2007 and 2009. Chase Utley competed in 2008. Rhys Hoskins reached the semifinals in 2018, Schwarber represented the club in 2022 and Alec Bohm did so in 2024.
Never before, though, have two Phillies walked into the same Derby wearing the same uniform.
There is also a layer of history between Harper and Schwarber that makes their joint appearance feel less like a novelty and more like a sequel.
They met in the final round of the 2018 Derby at Nationals Park, when Harper played for Washington and Schwarber for Chicago. Schwarber hit 18 home runs in the final. Harper matched him, then won, 19-18, with a walk-off homer in bonus time.
Schwarber had reached the final by eliminating Hoskins, 21-20, in the semifinals. That means three of the last four hitters standing that night would eventually occupy the same Phillies clubhouse.
Eight years later, Harper and Schwarber return as teammates, franchise faces and two of the most recognizable power hitters in baseball.
Harper will be making his third Derby appearance. He finished second to Yoenis Céspedes in 2013 before winning in 2018. Schwarber is also entering for the third time. He finished second in 2018 and was eliminated by Albert Pujols in the opening round in 2022.
Harper also has a chance to do something no hitter has accomplished.
He is one of only three players to win the Derby in his home ballpark, joining Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field in 1990 and Todd Frazier in Cincinnati in 2015. A victory Monday would make Harper the first player to win twice at home — and he would do it for two different franchises.
Schwarber arrives as perhaps the more obvious favorite based on raw 2026 production. He entered Friday leading Major League Baseball with 32 home runs. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, only Judge has hit more. Schwarber’s home runs this year have traveled an average of 404 feet and left his bat at 106.6 mph.
The competition will also look different. MLB has removed the clock and shifted to a swing-based format. Hitters will receive 20 swings in the first round and 15 in both the semifinals and final. The change should reward selectivity, efficiency and pure power — traits that fit both Phillies stars.
For a city hosting its first All-Star Game since 1996, the Derby now has the matchup Philadelphia wanted.
Harper brings the theater. Schwarber brings the force.
And for one night, the two biggest swings in the Phillies’ lineup will be aimed at their own ballpark.
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