SEATTLE —

Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the National League snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League on Tuesday night.

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.

Díaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates at the end of 2019, drove a 2-2 pitch from Baltimore's hard-throwing closer deep to left to put the NL in front. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.

He has nine homers this season, but hadn't hit a long ball since June 23 against the Los Angeles Angels.

"This means a lot to me, to my family," he said. "Being in the ASG for me is amazing."

For most of the night, the All-Star Game was a pitchers' duel highlighted by a couple big hits and some excellent defense.

It got nervous for the NL in the ninth. Wander Franco flied out to the warning track leading off against Philadelphia closer Craig Kimbrel, who issued two-out walks to Kyle Tucker and Seattle star Julio Rodríguez.

Kimbrel recovered to strike out José Ramírez to end it. Kimbrel also pitched in the previous NL win, recording two outs in 2012.

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.

J.D. Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Arraez's single in the fourth against Seattle's George Kirby, tying it at 1. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. appeared to tie the game again in the seventh when his shot down the left-field line was originally ruled a homer but was overturned 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 middle of their magical 116-win regular season, Cal Ripken Jr. said goodbye to the All-Star stage and Tommy Lasorda took a tumble.

Gerrit Cole became the first New York Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in that 2001 game. He needed a pair of spectacular leaping catches from Adolis García and Randy Arozarena near the wall to escape the first inning unscathed.

Pitching was the story of the night. Only nine balls were hit over 100 mph. There were 20 combined strikeouts, including Camilo Doval silencing the home crowd with a strikeout of Rodríguez in the seventh inning where four of the five pitches topped 100 mph.

CINCINNATI —

The Cincinnati Reds have been nothing short of electric during the first half of the season. A lot of that firepower comes from the young offense, but it wasn't a position player that got the call for this years All-Star game.

It was Reds star closer, Alexis Diaz (3-1, 2.19, 23 sv), who received enough votes to represent Cincinnati during All-Star week in July.

When asked how it felt to be selected, Díaz said the first thing he did was call his brother, Edwin, to share the news.

This is Diaz's second season at the professional level and he has not shied away from any competition.

This season Diaz has posted some terrific numbers. The closer has only allowed 19 walks, while fanning 58 batters over 37 innings pitched. That's three strikeouts per walk.

To add to that, Diaz has only allowed 19 hits and nine earned runs over 38 games.

Diaz tallied his 23rd save of the season this Sunday and will make his first All-Star game appearance on July 11.

CLEVELAND —

Stephen Curry got another 3-point record. LeBron James got another All-Star win.

Not a bad night in Ohio for the two All-Stars from Akron.

Curry turned boos to oohs and aahs with the greatest long-distance shooting performance in All-Star Game history, then James made a turnaround jumper that gave Team LeBron a 163-160 victory over Team Durant on Sunday night.

Curry made 16 3-pointers and scored 50 points, two off Anthony Davis' record. He was clearly hunting it, asking on the sideline during a sizzling third quarter what the record was.

“It’s pretty special, obviously being back in Ohio,” Curry said, seconds after being handed the inaugural Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy. “The trophy is very special. Very humble, very blessed.”

He missed his final 3-point attempt that would have allowed him to surpass Davis. But with James' team needing a basket to reach the target score of 163 points, they couldn't afford to keep feeding Curry.

So James pulled up from deep on the right side for the winning bucket, making him 5-0 in the format where the leading vote-getters in each conference draft teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, and James finished with 24 in his old home. Joel Embiid led Team Durant with 36 points.

The All-Star Game's return to Cleveland was expected to be James' night. He is the Cavaliers franchise's greatest player, having led them to their only NBA championship in 2016.

Instead, he was upstaged by Curry, who was born in the same Akron hospital.

Curry finished 16 of 27 beyond the arc — sometimes well, well behind it. He launched a few from the All-Star 2022 logo near midcourt, running backward without even waiting to watch one go in.

He smiled when he was booed during pregame introductions, Cleveland fans not forgiving him for helping Golden State beat the Cavaliers three times in the NBA Finals from 2015-18.

But the fans were enjoying his show too much to keep going as the game went on, though the boos returned when he was presented the MVP award.

The NBA revealed on Thursday a newly designed Kobe Bryant Trophy which is awarded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NBA All-Star Game.

Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in January 2020.

The trophy was renamed in the basketball legend's honor after Bryant's death, and it has been revamped with the help of artist Victor Solomon to pay tribute to specific areas of his career, as well as the achievement of being selected as an NBA All-Star.

The new multi-tiered trophy, which will be awarded on Sunday, Feb. 20 at the 2022 All-Star Game, is supported by an eight-sided base, to represent Bryant's No. 8 jersey number as well as the eight decades that the All-Star Game has been around.

The 18 stars around the base of the trophy represent Bryant's 18 All-Star selections, while its two-inch base height is a nod to his 2002 All-Star MVP.

On the first level -- which is seven inches in height to represent Bryant's 2007 All-Star Game MVP -- there are 24 stars adorning the outside which signify Bryant's No. 24 jersey number and each All-Star selected to the game.

The second level of the trophy is nine inches in height, a nod to Bryant's 2009 All-Star Game MVP, and is surrounded by 10 stars to represent Bryant's USA Basketball No. 10 jersey and the 10 All-Star Game starters.

The third level is 11 inches in height to commemorate his 2011 NBA All-Star Game MVP award, and is circled with five stars to showcase his five NBA championships as well as the "unity of an NBA team."

The fourth and final tier is adorned with a final star -- two inches in height to represent Bryant's two Bill Russell Trophies as the NBA Finals MVP -- to commemorate his 2007-08 NBA MVP award.

As well as the new Kobe Bryant Trophy, four other trophies awarded over All-Star Weekend have undergone new designs to commemorate the NBA's 75th anniversary.

"For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be," Solomon said.

"Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection's visual, aesthetic language.

"The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named 'The Kobe Bryant Trophy' for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about 'the game.'"

Two Cincinnati Reds will start for the National League in the 2021 All-Star Game, Major League Baseball officials announced Thursday.

Right-fielder Nick Castellanos and outfielder Jesse Winker will each make their inaugural appearances in the All-Star Game on July 13 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

They join a roster of other high-profile players, including the Giants’ Buster Posey — making his fifth appearance as an All-Star — and the Royals’ Salvador Perez, who is poised to make his sixth All-Star start as catcher.

Castellanos has a batting average of .346 and an OPS of 1.002. Winker “has taken his offensive production to another level this season,” MLB officials wrote, “already setting career highs in homers (19 entering Thursday) and RBIs (48 entering Thursday).”

The Associated Press reported on Monday that MLB plans to relocate the 2021 MLB All-Star Game to Denver’s Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.

MLB announced late last week that it was pulling the game from Atlanta after Georgia Republicans passed a sweeping voting registration bill. The bill has been condemned by Democrats and voting rights advocates.

The bill will require an ID for all ballots.

Proponents of the bill say provisions will reduce lines for voting, and establish a minimum number of ballot boxes per county.

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said late lat week. “We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”

MLB did not hold a 2020 All-Star Game due to the coronavirus.