Rockies C Elias Diaz named All-Star Game MVP

SEATTLE -- Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz was named MVP of the 2023 All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

Diaz blasted a go-ahead, two-run homer off Baltimore Orioles reliever Felix Bautista in the eighth inning to lift the National League All-Stars to a 3-2 victory. He is the first player in Rockies franchise history to be named All-Star Game MVP.

"It's fantastic, it really is," said NL manager Rob Thompson of the Philadelphia Phillies. "I was told by (Colorado manager) Bud (Black) he was one of the finest people you'll ever meet, and he was exactly that when he walked in. For him to do that, it's fantastic."

Entering Tuesday, the NL team had lost nine consecutive All-Star Games. Its last win came in 2012, when it blanked the American League 8-0.

Diaz, 32, was making his first All-Star appearance. In 80 games before the break, he hit .277 with nine homers and 45 RBIs.

In nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2015-19) and Rockies (2020-23), Diaz is a career .248 hitter with 51 home runs and 231 RBIs across 567 games.