All-Star Game: NL wins 3-2, ends 9-game losing streak

SEATTLE — Elias Diaz cracked a two-run home run in the eighth inning as the National League ended more than a decade of frustration in the All-Star Game, defeating the American League 3-2 on Tuesday at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

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Diaz’s heroics came in his first All-Star at-bat as he sent a pitch from Felix Bautista into the left-field seats to score Nick Castellanos. That gave the NL the lead and helped end a nine-game losing streak.

Diaz was named the game’s MVP.

A sellout crowd of 47,159 at T-Mobile Park watched a tight game that was not decided until Diaz’s homer and a nail-biting ninth inning as the AL tried to rally.

The 32-year-old catcher for the Colorado Rockies is a nine-year veteran of the majors. He is batting .277 with nine home runs and 45 RBI, but Tuesday’s blast was a memorable one for the NL.

The last NL victory came in 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. MVP Melky Cabrera led the NL to an 8-0 victory that year.

The AL put two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth off Craig Kimbrel, but the Phillies reliever struck out Jose Ramirez on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.

The AL still leads the series 47-44-2, according to Baseball-Reference.com. It was the third time the game was played in Seattle and the second time it has been played at T-Mobile Park.

Yandy Diaz homered and Bo Bichette had a sacrifice fly to give the AL a 2-1 lead.

The AL snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning when pinch-hitter Salvador Perez singled, Brent Rooker doubled and Bo Bichette hit a sacrifice fly. The NL appeared to tie the game on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homer in the seventh inning, but the call was reversed and the ball was ruled foul, temporarily preserving the AL’s lead.

The AL took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz homered off Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller.

The NL tied the game in the fourth inning when J.D. Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Arraez’s RBI single.

While the All-Star Game has traditionally been a showcase for established stars, this year’s contest featured 33 first-timers to the Midsummer Classic, USA Today reported. The rosters also had an international flavor, with 19 players on the AL roster and 12 on the NL side.

The NL won the first time the game was played in Seattle, winning 7-6 at the Kingdome in 1979. The game returned to Seattle in 2001, when the American League prevailed 4-1 at Safeco Field, which was renamed T-Mobile Park in 2019.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole started for the AL, while Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen started for the senior circuit. It was the first All-Star Game start for both pitchers.

The first pitch was shortly after 8 p.m. EDT, which made it 5 p.m. and still sunny in Seattle. Cole benefited in the first inning from a pair of catches near the wall by Texas right fielder Adolis Garcia and Tampa Bay left fielder Randy Arozarena.

Arozarena also had the first hit of the game, a single to left field. But he was thrown out attempting to steal.

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