This is what Ernie Clement has always done.
More than anything else, the Toronto Blue Jays’ utility infielder has always been a hitter.
When he was 4 years old, he asked his grandmother for socks for Christmas. It’s because he rolled up socks, tossed them up to himself, hit them with a little bat and then couldn’t always retrieve the socks from where they’d been hit.
Even before then, he’d been gifted a plastic golf club on his first birthday, and when he was 2, he hit in the backyard off underhand tosses from his mother with an adult-sized wooden bat.
So really, nothing Clement has done this postseason is that surprising. Maybe it is to the people who haven’t heard his name before, who were more focused on Blue Jays stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.
But Clement set an active player record en route to the World Series. In his first 11 postseason games, Clement has 18 hits. No one currently playing in MLB can claim that.
And so as the World Series dawns on Friday night, there certainly will be chances for an unsung hero. Baseball is funny that way, in how it often presents a chance to someone unlikely to save the day.
Clement, by some measures, may be unlikely. But if he’s called upon to hit the ball in a key moment, it’s a pretty safe bet that he’s going to put a good swing on it.
MORE: This 27-year old infielder will get a World Series ring no matter whether Dodgers or Blue Jays win
Who is Ernie Clement?
For those wondering about the basics: Ernie Clement is a 29-year old utility infielder for the Blue Jays.
He’s originally from Brighton, New York, outside of Rochester. He was a star baseball and hockey player.
Clement went from Brighton to the University of Virginia, where he was a national champion as a freshman.
He was eventually a fourth-round pick by Cleveland, for whom he played two MLB seasons before being cut loose to the Oakland Athletics, who eventually offloaded him to the Blue Jays.
Ernie has stuck in Toronto, getting an opportunity to spread his wings and be his best self on the diamond.
How is Ernie Clement nominated for 2 Gold Gloves?
This is one of the cooler Clement facts from this season: He’s nominated for a Gold Glove at both third base and as a utility man.
The utility Gold Glove honor is a recently added award, and it doesn’t preclude a player from being nominated at an individual spot, too.
Clement has always been capable of playing shortstop, third base and second base. This season, he added first base to the mix (and at Virginia, he played some centerfield).
Ernie Clement vs. left-handed pitching stats
The last thing to know about Clement, at least as it pertains to this World Series, is his hitting against lefties.
The Dodgers will start southpaw Blake Snell in Game 1, so it’s relevant right away.
This season, against left-handed pitching, Clement batted .326 with an OPS of .900.
Yeah, the dude can hit.
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