Jordan Walker and Kyle Schwarber put on a laser show deep into the Philadelphia night to ensure that the 2026 Home Run Derby was a great success. Concerns about the reimagined event were quickly allayed and Major League Baseball has the blueprint to go forward with an event that has vacillated between being must-see television and a lackluster slog.
The annual meeting of the mashers where only dingers are valued is a bit of a unicorn in the sports ecosphere. NBA All-Star Weekend is an abomination and the Slam Dunk Contest has fallen from hallowed ground with only the smoldering wreckage to observe. NFL players still gather for something with Pro Bowl branding but watching that is tantamount to testing one’s self-respect. Meanwhile, the national pastime still has a midseason showcase with strong bones and a concept so simple even the most casual observer can understand.
So there is good news coming out of Monday night’s longball festival. Even for Netflix, a nascent rights-holder that once again took some feedback in the form of high heat for its presentation of the product. People hated what they did with the All-Star exhibition far less than its Opening Night abomination.
Look elsewhere to see plenty of other people bashing last night’s broadcast. We’re all about the silver linings here. Netflix can improve things with one simple hack.
And that’s doing far, far less.