"I'm one of the best hitters in the country:" Jalen Jacob clinches 2026 Home Run Derby championship

By: Zak Byard (BCIT)

Jalen Jacob (Maple, Ont.) stole the show at the 2026 Home Run Derby in a nail-biter finish, clinching the championship in walk-off fashion.

Falling in the last two Home Run Derby editions, Jacob stepped his game up when it mattered. He knows best: third time's the charm.

"[It feels] great. It's my third year back and I finally got the dub," Jacob said, moments after being handed the championship belt.

It wasn't easy for Jacob: the derby started strong for the new blood, Theo Lima (Whitby, Ont.)

Lima rose to a comfortable seven-homer lead as first hitter and held onto it throughout the first round. Mikey Batiste (Mississauga, Ont.), the ambidexter and penultimate batter, hit three homers on his left side and one on his right to capture the second spot in round two. Jacob started strong with a first-hit homer, ultimately recording three to surpass defending champ Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer, Alta.) and make the next round. Also not advancing were Gino De Santis (Chatham, Ont.) and Gabriel Lehouillier (Levis, Que.)

Coming into the second round, Lima was the only first-time derby competitor, as Jacob and Batiste took part in the last year's Home Run Derby. Once again, he showed up, ripping six balls well out of Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Batiste stuck to his left side this round and followed up with three homers.

All eyes were on the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Jacob as he stepped up. While six long balls is a tall order for many batters, he elected to keep his strategy simple.

"Not try to kill the ball," Jacob said about his strategy. "Just try and get the launch angle out and pull the ball to where I can get it over the fence consistently."

Jacob recorded four homers in the first minute. Two to tie, three to win - Jacob knew what the next 60 seconds meant. After taking his timeout, he returned to home plate and rifled three balls out the field, his championship-clinching homer coming just seconds before the clock ran out. The crowd erupted into cheers while Jacob tossed his bat and went to celebrate.

Before returning to the festivities, Jacob concluded with a single sentence.

"I'm one of the best hitters in the country."

Jacob is set to play for Team Royal against Team New Blue in today's championship game at 11 a.m. PT.