Phillies Star Commits To Participating in Home Run Derby

Jun 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The glove and hat of Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) in the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies Star Commits To Participating in Home Run Derby

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Robert Marvi | Last updated Jul 10, 2026 12:00 PM ET

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This year, the Philadelphia Phillies will have six players take part in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will take place on Tuesday, July 14, at Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia. Of course, future Hall of Famer Bryce Harper will be one of those men.

This is the eighth time the 33-year-old living legend has been selected to play in the Midsummer Classic. Through 94 games this year, he has a .261 batting average and an .870 OPS, and he has delivered 57 runs batted in and 20 home runs.

This past weekend, it was announced that Harper had made the cut for this year's All-Star game, via the legend pick of commissioner Rob Manfred. He initially wasn't sure if he would take part in the home run derby, but on Thursday evening, he confirmed on his Instagram account that he would compete.

"Derby at home?" Harper wrote. "Sure why not? #HRD"

Bryce Harper set to compete in Home Run Derby

He had previously won the home run derby in 2018 when he was a member of the Washington Nationals. That year, it was held at Nationals Park, just as this year's event will take place on the Phillies' home field.

Who did Harper beat in the final round back then? Kyle Schwarber, who was then with the Chicago Cubs and is now his teammate in Philadelphia, not to mention a participant in this year's All-Star game.

Only four players in Major League Baseball history have won the home run derby more than once. Harper can become the fifth to do so.

The two-time National League MVP was hot throughout June, as he batted .305 and nearly reached 1.000 OPS for the month. The Phillies went 18-9 in June as they continued to rebound from an ugly 9-19 start earlier this season.

However, so far in July, Harper has been as cold as a January night in Pennsylvania. He's batting just .107 in eight games this month, and he has already tallied 13 strikeouts. In the Phillies' 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, he went hitless in four at-bats and struck out twice.

But the Phillies won this game with their pitching, which is considered a major weakness of theirs. Jesús Luzardo pitched seven innings and gave up only two hits while recording 11 strikeouts, and that performance improved his earned run average on the season to 3.51.

He now has an 8-4 record the year. He was named to the All-Star team on Tuesday as a replacement for Max Meyer of the Miami Marlins.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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