Philadelphia Phillies fans will have plenty to cheer about at Monday’s Home Run Derby, with two of their own taking part in the festivities at Citizens Bank Park.
Kyle Schwarber made it official on Friday, announcing he will compete alongside Phillies teammate Bryce Harper in the annual slugfest. Schwarber currently leads all of Major League Baseball with 32 home runs on the season.
The final spot in the eight-man field was filled Friday night by Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami. The 26-year-old Japanese rookie had been sidelined for 35 games with a hamstring injury before returning to action Friday. Despite the time missed, Murakami had already launched 20 home runs in just 57 games before hitting the injured list.
The rest of the derby lineup includes Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker, and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras.
This won’t be Schwarber’s first time in the derby spotlight. Back in 2018, when he was playing for the Chicago Cubs, he advanced all the way to the finals — where he lost to none other than Harper, who was then with the Nationals. That year’s All-Star events were hosted in Washington.
His most recent derby appearance didn’t go as well. In 2022, Schwarber was eliminated in the opening round.
