Kyle Schwarber isn’t treating the Home Run Derby’s new setup like a throwaway change. He sees it as a real shift in how the event gets prepared for - especially for the pitchers feeding balls to the hitters.
With Schwarber and Bryce Harper both set to take part, the Phillies will have two of their biggest stars trying to put on a show for the city’s fans. Schwarber said the revised format changes the whole feel of the competition, and in his view, that’s a good thing for the long haul.
On “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, Schwarber broke down the new rules, which remove the timer and replace it with a set number of swings each round. The opening round will be 20 swings per player, followed by 15 swings in the second and final rounds.
For Schwarber, the biggest adjustment may be on the person throwing the pitches.
“Yeah, I practiced one time out in Detroit. We were just in Detroit, and just did 15 and 20.
Just trying to figure out. One, it's more for probably the pitcher than it is for us.
Just to kind of figure out where he's going to stand, how hard you want him to throw, things like that, and for him to get used to throwing to a catcher because in BP, you know, we just throw into a turtle; they don't ever have a catcher,” Schwarber said.
He added that the change should make the event a little less punishing on the hitters, too.
“There's always a backdrop there, so it's going to be open field for him,” Schwarber continued. “No turtle, no nothing.
"I think the different format is gonna be a little bit easier on the body for us..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 13, 2026
I practiced once when we were in Detroit"@kschwarb12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xzBxRKfkOP
So him practice, feel it out, but yeah, it's going to be a different format. 20 swings, which I think is going to be a little bit, you know, easier on the bodies for us. Where, heck, swinging for two minutes, three minutes straight, it's a lot.”
Schwarber will try to turn that preparation into a win Monday night, when he goes after his first Home Run Derby title.
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