WATCH: Jose Siri pulls off thrilling home plate steal at LIDOM, joins exclusive 6-man list

Stealing home plate is one of the most exciting plays in baseball, and New York Mets outfielder Jose Siri pulled off a truly memorable one while playing in the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, commonly known as LIDOM. Representing the Gigantes del Cibao, Siri stole home from second base against the Aguilas Cibaenas, despite running well wide of the basepaths.

The MLB uploaded a video clip of the bizarre event through their official account on X. As per statistician Sarah Langs, Jose Siri became only the sixth player in LIDOM to steal home plate at least three times. He is also the first player to join that exclusive group in over 50 years.

During the game on Sunday night, Jose Siri was standing on second base with another runner on first and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Siri took off towards third base on a 2-2 count and easily swiped the bag as the throw from the catcher came in late and high to tag him out. However, he slid in too hard, and his entire body went past the base.

Nevertheless, Siri decided to use his momentum to instantly get off the turf and make a desperate dash for home plate, even though he had traveled well beyond the baseline. The defending third baseman realized the intention and attempted to chase the runner down to make a tag before throwing the ball to the catcher standing in front of home plate.

Jose Siri took a shuffle to his right to evade the tag from the catcher and lunged forward to score the run, as he was called safe by the umpire despite running way off the basepaths. The reason being, as per Rule 5.09(b)(i), 'A runner's basepath is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line to the base he is attempting to reach safely.'

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The Mets bring in Jose Siri from the Rays

Jose Siri was one of the least effective hitters in 2024 despite getting 18 home runs (Credits: IMAGN)

Jose Siri made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 2021 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle of the 2022 season. Siri enjoyed a fine start with the Rays, but his offensive production has dwindled in the past two seasons, although he remains an efficient defender in centerfield.

Siri was one of the worst hitters in 2024 after posting a .187/.255/.366 slash line with an OPS+ of just 76. Yet, he managed to rack up 1.8 bWAR due to his solid defensive metrics, along with 18 home runs. Therefore, the New York Mets had decided on a deal to bring him to Citi Field in exchange for right-handed pitcher Eric Orze on Nov. 19, before the blockbuster signing of Juan Soto.