Baseball fans were confused when a poorly timed graphic displayed the winner of the Home Run Derby at the wrong time. After that player was eventually crowned champion, cries of ‘rigging’ took over social media.
St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker didn’t need to hit many home runs in his semifinal matchup against Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero.
Seven homers was all that was required for Walker to move on to the final with a shot at becoming the first Cardinal to ever take the title on the line.
But after he spoke to Lauren Shahadi, the Netflix broadcast incorrectly flashed a graphic that read ‘Jordan Walker 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby Champion’ in the bottom left corner.
Only, it didn’t become incorrect. After Phillies star Kyle Schwarber hit 11 home runs in the final to set the pace, Walker slugged 12 moonshots – including five straight in sudden death – to win the derby.
Fans who noticed the earlier gaffe instantly jumped to the conclusion that the fix was in all along.
Baseball fans believe there’s evidence the Home Run Derby was ‘rigged’ for Jordan Walker
After the semifinal round, Netflix flashed this graphic – long before the event had concluded
Walker did eventually win the Derby, becoming the first Cardinal to be crowned the victor
‘Look at the time stamp of when I took this photo!!! Home run derby RIGGED!!!! This was right after the semi-finals,’ wrote one user on X.
Another asked, ‘Who caught this? Jordan Walker home run derby champion flashed on the screen for .2 seconds We know if Walker wins this s*** is RIGGED 100%’
‘MLB script leaked mid home run derby S***s so fake man,’ one user said.
One wondered, ‘Home Run Derby is rigged? Some are saying.’
Walker made his Home Run Derby debut and crushed a total of 31 homers across all three rounds to beat Schwarber and silence the angry Philadelphia crowd.
Boos rained down on Walker all night from the partisans in the stands, who even went so far as to boo a kid when he dropped a routine fly ball.
