Ernie

Clement

Clement became the first non-Cubs player to take Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez deep when he connected for a fifth-inning blast to left field. It was his seventh big fly of the season and second time he’s left the yard in three games. The unheralded 30-year-old is having a phenomenal season, hitting .309 through 66 games.

The homer in the third went 367-feet to left and would have remained in play in 16 ballparks, according to Statcast. The triple was actually more interesting, traveling 357 feet to the opposite field to get over Colton Cowser’s head at the wall in right. It was his first extra-base hit to right this year. Clement is batting .366 with four homers in his last 19 games, raising his OPS from .694 to .791.

Clement got the Jays on the board in the fourth inning with a run-scoring single off of Mitch Keller that plated Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 30-year-old has been swinging a hot bat as of late and is now slashing .295/.321/.425 with three homers and 18 RBI across 209 plate appearances on the season.

Okamoto won’t have to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes as he gets a breather following five consecutive starts at the hot corner. It’ll be Ernie Clement taking over with Lenyn Sosa at second base. The 29-year-old could use a break since he’s been mired in a slump for a couple weeks, hitting .161 (9-for-56) with one homer and 24 strikeouts over his last 15 games.

Clement hasn’t actually missed any time, since he came off the bench as a pinch-hitter during Tuesday’s contest, while he deals with step throat. Even if he’s still dealing with some symptoms, it’s not going to keep him out of Toronto’s lineup. The versatile 30-year-old is at second base and hitting sixth on Wednesday night in New York.

Clement is dealing with strep throat, so it’s probably for the best if he practices some social isolation to prevent it from spreading around Toronto’s clubhouse. The 30-year-old infielder is available off the bench, if needed, with Davis Schneider getting into the lineup at second base in his place.

Clement had himself a day at the plate, starting with a pair of base hits in the second and fourth innings. He knocked his third base hit to drive in a run in the fifth, then took Mitch Farris deep for a two-run blast in the seventh. A fourth single in the eighth would give him five hits in the contest. The 30-year-old infielder is hitting a solid .299/.319/.422 with two homers, 14 runs scored, and 12 RBI across 160 plate appearances.

Clement had 12 homers in 2024 and nine last season, but it took him 30 games to get one this year. Of course, that’s not an issue while he’s batting .301. The homer, though, turned out to be his lone hit in the series against Boston, as he finished 1-for-11 with two walks. He was working on a 10-game hitting streak going into the series.

Clement has started all 27 games for the Blue Jays this season and has hit first or second in eight straight. The move up the order coincided with George Springer’s trip to the injured list, so there’s no guarantee it lasts. The 2025 postseason hero has become the team’s everyday second baseman while still mixing in reps at shortstop and third base.

Clement got his three hits without the benefit of a hard-hit ball. He’s second in the majors with 32 hits this season, and he was tied for 99th with 28 hard-hit balls coming into the day, with a couple of more guys probably passing him this afternoon.