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MLB Eliminates Clock for 2026 Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park
Major League Baseball announced new rules for the July 13 event in Philadelphia. The changes include 20 swings per hitter in the first round and a switch in broadcaster to Netflix.
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Major League Baseball will eliminate the clock for the 2026 Home Run Derby and give each participant 20 swings in the first round. The event is scheduled for July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. A player who hits a home run on the 20th swing will continue until failing to connect for a long ball.
The top four hitters advance, and the distance of the longest home run will serve as the tiebreaker for first-round advancement. Hitters will be seeded for the second round, with the No. 1 seed facing the No.
4 seed and the No. 2 seed facing the No. 3 seed. Each player receives 15 swings in that round, and a batter who homers on the final swing continues until failing to hit a home run. A best-of-three swing-off will resolve ties in the second round.
The same format will apply to the final round. Netflix will broadcast the 2026 Home Run Derby, replacing ESPN, which had televised the event since 1994. MLB announced the format changes on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
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