Alexis Díaz earns 1st All-Star selection

CINCINNATI -- This was supposed to be the season that second-year reliever Alexis Díaz grew in the closing role for the Reds while the club continued its rebuilding process.

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Instead, Díaz is already a top closer often thrust into pressure situation for a Cincinnati team contending for the postseason. His success was rewarded on Sunday when the 26-year-old right-hander was named as the Reds' lone representative on the National League All-Star team.

"I feel excited," Díaz said through translator Jorge Merlos. "It's an honor to be selected to the All-Star Game. It's a grand thing for a baseball player to get that feat, so for me, it's just an honor to get to that point."

Díaz is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA and 23 saves in 24 chances this season. His streak of 27 consecutive saves -- dating back to 2022 -- ended during Friday's 7-5 11-inning win over the Padres, when he blew the save in the top of the ninth inning. It was the longest active streak in the Major Leagues when it ended.

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"It's all because of this team that I've been able to have the success that I've had, and they've given me the confidence to go out there in the ninth and pitch well," Díaz said. "I've also gained a lot of confidence in myself. I've been able to control my emotions when I'm up on the mound, so it's given me all the results up there that I've needed to do."

The new active leader, with 22 straight saves, is his older brother Edwin Díaz -- the injured closer of the Mets. He was one of the first people to get the news about the new All-Star.

"I called him right after," Díaz said. "He was super excited for me, he was super happy with what I've been able to accomplish this year. It's all what we've been able to do combined and put all the results out there together, so you deserve it."

Díaz will head to Seattle for the July 11 All-Star Game without any Reds teammates. Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz are all rookies who have made a strong showing. But De La Cruz and McLain, especially, have been in the big leagues for less than two months.

"Our entire team, they're all having great numbers. You could think that they should be in the All-Star Game," Díaz said. "Unfortunately because of all the votes, they weren't able to go, but any one of them could've easily gone to the All-Star Game."

Díaz, who has allowed just one home run this season, is the first Reds' first All-Star reliever since Aroldis Chapman in 2015 and their first right-handed reliever since Francisco Cordero in 2009.

Díaz has quickly become an important member of the 45-39 Reds as they share first place with the Brewers in the NL Central.

"What he's been doing this year is incredible, and it's been awesome to see him grow from last year to this year and just how dominant he's been," Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. "There's some good genes between him and his brother."

In his first game since the blown save, Díaz rebounded on Sunday to close the Reds' 4-3 win over the Padres and help Cincy take two of three games in the series. He allowed one run but got the job done.

"What an incredible representative for the Cincinnati Reds and for our team, not only the way he’s pitched but the way he goes about it every single day. He’s an incredible teammate," Reds manager David Bell said.