After missing the Amazin’ Day festivities on Saturday and obviously feeling left out, the Mets’ new outfielder Jose Siri had to show an incredible piece in a big spot Sunday night in the Dominican Republic.
Siri, who plays for Leones del Escogido at LIDOM, scored a big shot to help protect their late lead in Game 6 of the Serie Final against Tigres del Licey..
The new Met entered the game in the eighth inning half to play center field and help protect a one-run lead.
With Sergio Alcántara third with two outs (after the former big leaguer led off the inning with a double), Christian Adamès took a 2-0 offering from Silvino Bracho in short left center.
Siri, who was playing Adames right away, immediately rushed to get the ball and, without slowing his stride, made a running grab to end the inning, sliding to stop his momentum and celebrating the big grab by hitting himself chest half a dozen times.
José Siri with ENERGY after covering a lot of ground to successfully capture ⚡️
His LIDOM team, Leones del Escogido, is on the verge of winning the title this yearpic.twitter.com/9FdZcUjU00
-SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 27, 2025
Leones failed to close out the game in the top of the ninth when Gustavo Núñez hit a game-tying two-run home run. And in the extra frames, Licey — seeking a third straight title — banked in a three-pointer in the top of the 13th to force a deciding game in the series after a 7-4 victory.
At the plate, Siri went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
Siri’s defensive prowess and speed are huge advantages for New York heading into the season. During the 2024 campaign, the 29-year-old had 16 putouts above average (99th percentile in the major leagues) and recorded a sprint speed of 29.9 feet per second (99th percentile), according to Statcast . He also recorded 12 defensive runs, according to FanGraphs, tied for seventh among big league outfielders.
President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said earlier this offseason that he expects Siri and Tyrone Taylor to see the time in the center.
“With Siri and Tyrone, we have two guys who are really talented defenders. It can impact the game in a variety of ways,” Stearns said in December. “I imagine over the course of the year they will both spend some time there. Tyrone also has the ability to move around the corners and play very quality defense in the corners.
“So we’ll see where it goes, but I’m really happy to have two top defensive centre-backs for the season.”
The Mets added Siri in a trade with the Rays in November, sending Eric Orzé in Tampa.
The hope for the Mets is that he can produce a little more at the plate, as he’s slashed just .187/.255/.366 for a .78 wRC+ in 448 plate appearances in 130 games. He hit 18 home runs with 47 RBIs for the Rays.
Those numbers were down from 2023, when he posted a respectable 106 wRC+ with 25 homers and 56 RBIs in just 364 overs.