Angels Outfielder Saves Grand Slam and Chicken Tenders

Jose Siri reached over the fence at Tropicana Field and pulled back more than just a baseball. He saved his team from disaster and rescued a buffet of chicken tenders waiting just beyond the wall.

The Angels outfielder made the catch of the season on Sunday, robbing Taylor Walls of a grand slam that would have buried his team early. Walls launched what looked like a sure home run 330 feet toward left field with the bases loaded in the third inning.

But Siri had other plans. He tracked the ball to the wall, reached over the fence, and snatched it back, turning four runs into zero with one spectacular grab.

"I think it's something that I have always done," Siri said after the game. "I have good defense and I just tried to do what I do in the outfield."

The timing couldn't have been sweeter. Siri spent three seasons with the Rays before joining the Angels in May, making this robbery against his former teammates even more satisfying.

After the catch, Siri shrugged to his teammates and tipped his cap to the crowd as he jogged back to the dugout. His teammates erupted, congratulating him on what manager Kurt Suzuki called a "huge play" that kept a 3-1 game from becoming a 7-1 blowout.

For Walls, the pain stung a little extra. The shortstop hasn't hit a home run all season and watched his best chance sail into Siri's glove.

"I'm like, 'Dude, if I had like nine or 10 of them, and you took one away, fine,'" Walls said. "'I've got zero. Like, let me have one.'"

Sunny's Take

What makes this story even better is what Siri discovered after being pulled from the game. A buffet of food sits beyond the left field wall at Tropicana Field, and his catch saved it from being destroyed by the baseball.

"I saw the food after they took me out of the game," Siri said with a smile. "I saw that there were some chicken tenders, they looked good and I saved them."

Siri also contributed offensively, going 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored. Through 18 at-bats this season since joining the Angels from their minor league affiliate, he's hitting .333 with two home runs.

The Angels ultimately lost 5-2, but Siri's spectacular play kept them in the game and gave everyone something to smile about, including those chicken tenders living to see another inning.