July 19, 2022
No, Kyle Schwarber won't be the first Phillies player to win the Home Run Derby since Ryan Howard in 2006. Despite being the second favorite in terms of betting odds behind the Mets' Pete Alonso, Schwarber lost in the first round of the single-elimination derby tourney to Albert Pujols.
Pujols, at 42, was a late addition to the All-Star Game, a "legacy" selection that serves as a de facto lifetime achievement award as the future Hall of Fame's career rolls towards its end. What Phillies fans assumed was an act of charity for Pujols turned out to be a bad break for Schwarber.
Schwarbs, who has a National League-leading 29 home runs this season, hit just 13 home runs in the first round of this year's derby, the same total as Pujols. The two hitters went to a one-minute "swing off" that ended up with Pujols slightly edging out Schwarber 20-19.
A bummer for Schwarbs and Phillies fans looking for a night of fun for sure.
Do I smell a conspiracy while I'm at it?
ESPN miscounted Kyle Schwarber home run total that allowed Albert Pujols to advanced to the 2nd round pic.twitter.com/GbLrG1Czpu
— mlb.updates365 (@mlb_updates365) July 19, 2022
Wrapping things up, I'll share a news article headline from a couple months back that caught my eye: "Albert Pujols files to divorce wife of 22 years, days after she had brain surgery."
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