“Ruthless” Ernie Clement and Blue Jays knock Yankees out of Division Series
NEW YORK — Ernie Clement wore down Yankees pitchers in the Division Series. The 29-year-old infielder had three hits in Game 2, including Max Fried’s leadoff two-run homer to help the Blue Jays win, then had four more hits in Game 3 and sparked a rally with two singles in Game 4 to take the lead in the fifth inning before adding two more runs in the seventh to help Toronto open the game. Behind opener Luis Wallander and seven other relievers, the Blue Jays combined to hold the Yankees to six hits and two runs, 5-2 in Game 4.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.529/.550/1.059) and Dalton Varshaw (.438/.471/1.000) were the Blue Jays’ heaviest hitters in the series, combining for five homers and 13 RBIs, while Clemente — who has spent time at all four infield positions this year and started at second and third base in this series — Hitting .643/.625/.929 he scored himself and scored five runs apiece. Although he showed a wide gap in the regular season, posting a 146 wRC+ (.326/.351/.549) against lefties and a 75 wRC+ (.254/.295/.327) against righties, both of his singles in Game 4 came off right-hander Cam Schlitler Schlittler, who, while not as dominant as he was against the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series final, was outstanding.
“I think Ernie Clement made everyone realize how good he was,” head coach John Schneider said after the game. “The bottom part of our lineup has been like that all year. You try to navigate it to where guys can put the ball in play, guys can get on base for the guys at the top.
“For a guy who’s been through it a little bit, Ernie’s first playoff series was unbelievable,” he continued. “I think he kind of embodies the way we play. So I’m excited for him, but the bottom part of our lineup has been ruthless all season.”
Schneider alluded to Clement’s path to the Blue Jays. Drafted in the fourth round by Cleveland out of the University of Virginia in 2017, he reached the majors in ’21 but hit just .214/.273/.274 in 103 games that season and the next before being released in September 2022. He performed well for the A’s but only played six games for them at the end of the season before being released midway through spring training in 2023. He signed with the Blues but spent most of that season with Triple-A Buffalo before going from competing for the No. 26 roster spot in the spring of 2024 to playing 139 games in the majors, primarily at third base and shortstop. He spent significant time at third and second this year, the latter with Andres Jimenez out with a sprained ankle, and then branched out to shortstop after Bo Bichette went down with a sprained left knee late in the season. Clement totaled 21 DRS and 9 FRV and was a key cog in one of the major leagues’ best defenses.
Offensively, Clemente is an extreme researcher. In addition to his big platoon split — which follows last year’s big reverse split (307 PA against righties, 104 wRC+, 145 PA against lefties, 72 wRC+) — his average exit velocity (86.6 mph) ranks just in the eighth percentile, barrel rate (2.4%) ranks in the sixth percentile, but square rate (36.9%) ranks in the 97th percentile. In the qualifiers, his 4.6% walk rate and 10.4% strikeout rate both ranked seventh from the bottom in the majors.
“Ernie has great hitting skills and I’ve seen him a foot above the zone and a foot below the zone. And with that comes some swings in results,” Schneider said before Game 4. “Ernie’s not afraid of anything. I think it shows in the way he plays, whether it’s on the bases, on defense or at the plate.”
Despite losing the bullpen battle on Tuesday night, Schneider and the Blue Jays showed no shortage of confidence, selecting Wallander as the bullpen opener after the bullpen gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings en route to a 6-1 lead. Wallander himself hit a three-run homer off Aaron Judge in Game 3 and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single led off the best hitter in the world, and it took the cooperation of the wind and the ghost of Yankee Stadium to turn a 99.7-mph four-seam 1.2 feet off center of the plate into some timely runs. With Max Scherzer struggling down the stretch and Chris Bassett and Jose Berrios both missing the regular season due to injuries, the Blue Jays entered the series with just three starters and opted to go with an all-relief approach in Game 4. Although Schneider mentioned that Game 2 starter Trey Yesavage, who gave the Yankees no hits in 5 1/3 innings in just his fourth major league start, is certainly available. In this case, he never had to call his number.
Another reason for confidence, or at least optimism for the Blue Jays, is their previous success against Schlittler, who was making only his 16th major league start since being called up on July 9. The Blue Jays caught him after allowing five hits, two runs and four runs in 1 2/3 innings on Aug. 30 in New York, his worst start in a stellar half-season.
The Blue Jays quickly did what the Red Sox failed to do in their first eight innings last week: score on Schlitler. Leadoff batter George Springer scalded his first pitch, a 97.3 mph fastball, into the left corner for a 107.5 mph double. After Nathan Lukes flew out, Guerrero drove in an RBI double down the right field line; six pitches later, the Blue Jays led 1-0. Addison Barger singled to right to move Guerrero to third, but Alejandro Kirk fouled catcher Austin Wells and Cody Bellinger slid into foul territory to catch Varsho’s fly ball down the left field line.
Wallander, making his fourth appearance in the series, gave up a resounding single to Judge in the first inning and hit Paul Goldschmidt in the back with a 98 mph sinker in the second inning before giving up to lefty Mason Fluharty, who struck out Wells and Anthony Volpe. Fluharty hit a solo home run to Ryan McMahon, his third homer off a left-hander all season and his first since being acquired from the Rockies on July 25. But the Yankees couldn’t do any other damage to the next five relievers called up by Schneider, Serantoni Dominguez, Eric Lauer, Yareel Rodriguez, Brandon Little and Brayden Fisher, who combined to hold the Yankees to two hits and five walks over the next 5 1/3 innings. The Yankees didn’t put two men on base at the same time until the sixth inning. They did just that in that inning when Lauer intentionally walked Judge with one out, then Yareel Rodriguez came on to walk Giancarlo Stanton and then retired Chisholm on a grounder.
Schlitler didn’t have the same swing errors he did against the Red Sox on Wednesday night, but his four-seam fastball still averaged 98 mph and topped out at 99.7 mph, and what he lacked in dominance he made up for in efficiency. In four innings, he threw just 47 pitches, yielded five batters and seven strikes, and allowed just one hit from the second to fourth inning, giving up Bugg’s leadoff double in the fourth inning. He retired Clement, the eighth batter in the lineup, in the second inning, but it required Volpe to make a brilliant over-the-shoulder grab on a dying quail in the shallows in left field to do it.
Clement hit a 97.6 mph four-seam strike and then a 94.6 mph cut to left field in the bottom third of the zone for a single. He sped to third when Jimenez singled to center field and scored on a sacrifice fly when Springer flew to center field.
The score was still 2-1, Schlitler was still on the mound, and Clement hit again with one out in the seventh inning after Anthony Santander fouled McMahon. On the first pitch, Schlitler left a 98.4 mph fastball in the middle of the zone, and Clement drilled the ball into right field for a single. Then Jimenez hit a rolling kick up the middle that hit Chisholm’s glove, and Chisholm was clearly contemplating a double play. Clement reached third and the ball sailed into center field.
Schlitler ended his night with 88 pitches, 69 of which were strikes. He allowed eight hits and struck out two in 6 2/3 innings and didn’t walk anyone for the second consecutive start. Devin Williams, who threw 26 pitches in Game 3, came in and threw seven straight changeups at or just below Springer at the bottom of the zone, eventually knocking him out, but Jimenez stole second on the last pitch. Two pitches later, Lukes singled to center, bringing home two runners (these runs were unearned), extending the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-1.
The Blue Jays added one more run in the eighth inning against Camilo Doval, thanks to Kirk’s leadoff double and then Myles Straw’s single to right field; Doval then hit Clement in the back at 95.7 mph, but he was quickly erased on a power play.
Now trailing 5-1, the Yankees had a chance to tie the game in the eighth inning. With two outs, Stanton singled Fisher, Chisholm and pinch-hitter Ben Rice, who drew walks against closer Jeff Hoffman, but nonetheless allowed Wells to hit a routine fly ball to left field on his first pitch at the plate. Although the Yankees scored a run in the ninth on Jason Dominguez’s double and Judge’s single off the left field wall, he was the last runner on base of the season; Bellinger came out chasing a low, detached ball, and that was it. The Blue Jays won their first playoff series since 2016, when they defeated the Orioles in the AL Wild Card Game, then swept the Rangers in the Division Series before losing to Cleveland in five games in the ALCS.
Clemente, who hit the ninth against right-hander Luis Gil in Game 1 and the sixth against left-handers Fried and Carlos Rodon in Games 2 and 3, wasn’t the only one causing trouble at the bottom of the lineup. In this series, the Blue Jays’ six to nine batters (sometimes including Varsho, Barger, Straw, and Giménez) combined to hit .322/.390/.424 with 10 RBIs, leaving Yankees pitchers with fewer outs, and the Jays averaged 8.5 runs per game in the series. What they lacked in power (Clement was the only one to hit a home run at one of those spots) they made up for with an extreme penchant for contact, striking out just eight times in 68 games (11.7 percent), which forced the Yankees’ shaky defense to make plays — and sometimes they didn’t. During the regular season, the Blue Jays’ six to nine batters combined to hit .253/.320/.388 for a 99 wRC+, fourth among those positions; their 18.7 percent strikeout rate was the lowest in the majors, and the team’s overall 17.8 percent strikeout rate was also the lowest.
“I take a lot of responsibility at the bottom of the lineup, trying to fuel our big guys,” Clement said. “Jimenez [who went 4-for-15 with a double] There was also a huge effort in getting on base. It feels like the bottom of our order really helps us win every game. So I think that’s huge. “
During the postgame celebration in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, where players made beer angels on the floor, Clement lost the fun. “I don’t know where I am now!” he exclaimed. Soon, he and the Blue Jays — the top seed in the American League playoffs — will be back at Rogers Center awaiting a matchup with the Mariners-Tigers division series winner.
David Andrews contributed to this report.
