Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Felix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the National League snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a memorable 3-2 victory over the American League.
The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City thanks to Díaz, a catcher who became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award.
“This means a lot to me, to my family,” he said. “Being in the ASG is great for me.”
Not offered by the Pirates in late 2019, Díaz hit a 2-2 pitch from Baltimore’s hard throw closer deep left to put the NL ahead. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.
‘It matters. We wanted to win, we wanted to win the American League,” Bautista said through an interpreter. “But overall I think it’s an experience I’ll never forget and I wish that had been a little different.”
Elias Diaz, left, of NL, celebrates his game-winning home run with two runs in the eighth inning
Diaz is the first Colorado Rockies player to ever win the All-Star MVP award in MLB history
Diaz got emotional after the game and said his mom was in the stands (pictured with MVP award)
Díaz has hit nine home runs this season, but had not hit a long ball since June 23 against the Los Angeles Angels.
Most of the evening, the All-Star Game was a pitching duel highlighted by some big hits and a great defense.
Things got nervous for NL in the ninth. Wander Franco flied out at the warning lane leading up to Philadelphia’s Craig Kimbrel, who walked Kyle Tucker and Seattle star Julio Rodríguez twice.
Kimbrel recovered and struckout José Ramírez to end it. Kimbrel also pitched in the previous NL-win and recorded two outs in 2012.
“The ninth inning in the dugout was just really fun to watch,” said Josh Hader from San Diego, who pitched the eighth for NL.
Yandy Díaz hit a solo homer in the second inning and Bo Bichette’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning gave the AL a 2-1 lead.
JD Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Arraez’s single in the fourth inning against George Kirby of Seattle to tie the score at 1. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was returned as a foul ball on replay.
The All-Star Game returned to the Emerald City for the first time since 2001, when the Mariners were in the midst of their magical 116-win regular season, Cal Ripken Jr. retired from the All-Star stage and Tommy Lasorda tumbled .
Gerrit Cole is the first Yankees pitcher to start an All-Star game since Roger Clemens in 2001
There was no at bat from Mike Trout, Aaron Judge or Jose Altuve, but Shohei Ohtani put on a show
Gerrit Cole became the first New York Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in that 2001 game. He needed some spectacular catches from Adolis García and Randy Arozarena at the wall to get out of the first inning unscathed .
Pitching was the story of the evening. Only nine balls were hit over 100 mph. There were 20 combined strikeouts, including Camilo Doval who silenced the home crowd with a strikeout by Rodríguez in the seventh inning, where four of five pitches reached 100 mph.
The All-Star Game missed some big names with Mike Trout and Aaron Judge injured, but Shohei Ohtani was still there.
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport
The Angels-star had a quiet evening with a strikeout and a walk as designated hitter. He drew the biggest cheers outside of Seattle’s three representatives during introductions, and was serenaded with chants of “Come to Seattle” when he was on the record.
The hometown audience is well aware of his forthcoming free agency this off-season.
“Never experienced anything like it, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “But I tried to focus on my at bat.”
Toronto reliever Jordan Romano left the seventh inning after throwing the pitch that Gurriel fouled and initially judged good. He threw five pitches before leaving the game with a tight feeling in his back.
Chicago White Sox slugger Luis Robert Jr. did not play after feeling tightness in his right calf during the Home Run Derby. The White Sox said Robert underwent an MRI in Seattle and is listed as day to day.
The Rangers made All-Star history as Nathan Eovaldi took the mound in the second. That was the third time in an All-Star Game when six players from the same team were on the field at the same time. It also happened with the 1939 Yankees and the 1951 Dodgers.
Nathan Eovaldi, of the Rangers, made history when he took the mound in the second inning as it was the third time in the All-Star game that six players from the same team were on the field
Seattle star Julio Rodríguez was unable to get on the scoreboard in front of Mariners fans
The Baseball Hall of Fame said that a ball signed by all six players in the game would go to Cooperstown.
“That has to be one of the cooler moments in the sport when half the team on the field is your team, especially in these conditions,” said catcher Jonah Heim. “It’s very special and I was happy to share it with these guys today.”
The Tampa Bay duo of Shane McClanahan and Wander Franco was accidentally skipped during pregame introductions. The pair ran in alone, leaving it to the Rays’ social media workers to give them a proper announcement.
Devin Williams of Milwaukee has no known connection to Seattle, but did his part in winning over fans with his choice of footwear for the All-Star Game. Williams had custom green and yellow spikes made for the game, with previous logos from the Seattle SuperSonics on each shoe.
Six of the eight members of Seattle’s All-Star contingent from the 2001 game were recognized pregame. John Olerud, Bret Boone, Freddy Garcia, Jeff Nelson, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Edgar Martinez and manager Lou Piniella were honored. Ichiro Suzuki and Mike Cameron were also on the All-Star team that season.
Baseball Hall of Famers Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. threw the ceremonial first pitches to former teammates Dan Wilson and Jay Buhner.
The post-All-Star intermission portion of the schedule begins Friday, with every team in the league scheduled to play.
San Diego in Philadelphia is the first game scheduled for Friday. The second half begins with Atlanta leading baseball at 60-29 with an 8½ game lead in the NL East. Tampa Bay has the best record in the American League at 58-35, two games ahead of Baltimore.
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport