Schwarber advances in Home Run Derby, along with Contreras, Walker, Caminero

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber kept his bid for a Home Run Derby title in his home park alive when the Phillies’ slugger and major league home run leader hit 10 in the first round and advanced with Boston’s Willson Contreras, St. Louis’ Jordan Walker and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero to the next round Monday night.

Bryce Harper hit only eight home runs and was the final slugger of the round to try and advance. He provided a late jolt with Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park going wild trying to will Harper into one more round.

Harper won in 2018 in Washington when he played for the Nationals.

Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone and New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice also failed to advance.

Contreras and Walker each hit 13, and Caminero had 12.

Schwarber failed to launch one of his famed Schwarbombs until his sixth swing, then connected on his seventh, eighth and ninth in a four-homer stretch that harkened back to his four-homer game last season again Atlanta.

He could only watch as Harper failed to join him. Schwarber, then with the Chicago Cubs, made the finals in 2018 at Nationals Park before losing to Harper.

“Bittersweet,” Schwarber said after the first round Monday. “I wanted both of us to move on.”

MLB ditched the timed clock this season and returned to a swing format, with each hitter continuing to swing i...