"I basically just told [manager Rob Thomson] that whatever he needs from me, I'm here to help the team," Diaz said through a translator. "I didn't necessarily realize that it was going to be me winning the game and bringing home the victory but, yeah, I told him whatever he needed from me, I was happy to be here."

"I talked to Bud Black about Elias," Thomson said. "He said, 'This is one of the finest people you'll ever meet. He's a complete team player.' For him to do that, it's fantastic."

Diaz, the first Colorado Rockies catcher to ever make an All-Star team, also became the first member of the franchise to win MVP honors.

"Obviously I was aware that I was the first Rockies catcher to be an All-Star; I took a lot of pride in that," Diaz said. "I wanted to make the Rockies proud and put my name on the map, and now history is continuing to write itself with the MVP."