Why Home Run Derby's magenta ball became the night's biggest challenge
Home Run Derby's new bonus-ball twist was a nonfactor for most of the night before an exhilarating finish changed everything.
Editor's note: Follow along for live updates from the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby.Nobody could touch the magenta ball, until the end of the night. Through the first two rounds of the Home Run Derby on Netflix on Monday night, not one of the 12 hitters homered on the T-Mobile Magenta Ball, according to the broadcast.
The magenta ball is the new bonus ball that hands a player extra swings if he goes deep on the last cut of his round.That ball was like a Paul Skenes' splinker all night, confounding hitters, until Kyle Schwarber hammered the last one he saw during the finals. It was a 435-foot homer as he was down to his final swing.
Jordan Walker hit the magenta ball out four times to, not only stay alive, but beat Schwarber with 12 home runs. Walker homered on his last six swings.While it started out as a dud, it set up an exciting walk-off at the Home Run Derby.
The ball is new this year. It's white and magenta with red stiches. It comes into play on the final swing of each round, and a home run on it keeps the hitter alive until he makes an out.
All night, it was the prize nobody could catch.Or maybe they just couldn't see it.The Netflix analysts kept coming back to one theory: The two different colors made it harder for the players to track.
It was darker on one side, meaning it wouldn't show up as well as regular white baseballs against the batter's eye in center field. Hitters use the red stiches against the white leather to track the pitches as they are released from the pitchers.It's a small detail that probably wasn't as well thought out as it should have been before the derby, but it is definitely something that would bother hitters.
Where to watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game The festivities continue in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14 with the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Date: Tuesday, July 14 Time: 8 p.m.
ET Location: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia) TV: Fox Streaming: Fox One Watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game with Fubo USA TODAY at MLB All-Star Game The 2026 Midsum
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