NEW YORK — Ernie Clement merely wore out Yankees pitchers throughout the Division Sequence. After accumulating three hits in Recreation 2 — together with a two-run homer off Max Fried that opened the scoring — in a Blue Jays win, then 4 extra hits of their Recreation 3 defeat, the 29-year-old infielder sparked rallies in Recreation 4 with a pair of singles that led to the go-ahead run within the fifth inning after which two extra runs within the seventh, serving to Toronto break the sport open. Backed by opener Louis Varland and 7 different relievers who mixed to carry the Yankees to 6 hits and two runs, the Blue Jays bounced their AL East rivals with a 5-2 victory in Recreation 4.
Whereas Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.529/.550/1.059) and Daulton Varsho (.438/.471/1.000) have been the Blue Jays’ heaviest hitters within the sequence, combining for 5 homers and 13 RBI, Clement — who hung out in any respect 4 infield positions this yr and began video games at each second and third base on this sequence — hit .643/.625/.929 himself whereas scoring and driving in 5 runs apiece. Although he confirmed a large platoon break up throughout the common season, producing a 146 wRC+ (.326/.351/.549) in opposition to lefties and 75 wRC+ (.254/.295/.327) in opposition to righties, each of his Recreation 4 singles have been off fireballing righty Cam Schlittler, who was superb if not almost as dominant as he had been in opposition to the Pink Sox within the Wild Card Sequence finale.
“I feel Ernie Clement has made everybody conscious of how good he’s,” stated supervisor John Schneider after the sport. “It’s been like that the entire yr for the underside a part of our lineup. You attempt to navigate it to the place guys can put the ball in play, guys can get on base for guys on the high.
“Ernie had an unbelievable first postseason sequence for a man that has been by way of it a bit of bit,” he continued. “I feel he form of epitomizes what we’re by way of how we play. So I’m thrilled for him, however the backside a part of our lineup has been relentless your complete season.”
Schneider was alluding to the trail Clement took to the Blue Jays. Drafted out of the College of Virginia within the fourth spherical by Cleveland in 2017, he reached the majors in ’21, however hit simply .214/.273/.274 in 103 video games in that season and the subsequent earlier than being launched in September 2022. He caught on with the A’s however performed simply six video games for them late within the season, then drew his launch in the course of spring coaching in 2023. He signed with the Blue Jays however spent most of that season at Triple-A Buffalo, then went from battling for the twenty sixth roster spot within the spring of 2024 to enjoying 139 video games within the majors, primarily at third base and shortstop. This yr, he spent substantial stretches at third and second, the latter whereas Andrés Giménez was sidelined as a consequence of an ankle sprain, and late within the season dabbled at shortstop after Bo Bichette went down with a left knee sprain. With mixed totals of 21 DRS and 9 FRV, Clement was a key cog in one of many majors’ finest defenses.
On the offensive facet, Clement is one thing of a examine in extremes. Along with his huge platoon break up — which adopted up a big reverse break up final yr (104 wRC+ in 307 PA in opposition to righties, 72 wRC+ in 145 PA in opposition to lefties) — he ranked in simply the eighth percentile in common exit velocity (86.6 mph) and sixth percentile in barrel price (2.4%), however within the 97th percentile in squared-up price (36.9%). Amongst qualifiers, each his 4.6% stroll price and 10.4% strikeout price ranked among the many majors’ seven-lowest marks.
“Ernie has elite bat-to-ball expertise, and I’ve seen him cowl a foot above the zone and a foot beneath the zone. With that comes a bit of little bit of volatility with the outcomes,” stated Schneider previous to Recreation 4. “Ernie just isn’t fearful of any scenario. I feel his play form of exhibits that, the best way he performs the sport, whether or not it’s on the bases, on protection, or on the plate.”
Regardless of dropping the battle of the bullpens on Tuesday night time, Schneider and the Blue Jays projected no scarcity of confidence, beginning with selection of Varland to function an opener for a bullpen recreation after stated bullpen had completed the job of coughing up a 6-1 lead by permitting six runs in 5 1/3 innings. Varland himself served up Aaron Choose’s game-tying three-run homer in Recreation 3, and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s go-ahead solo shot the very best hitter on the planet wanted the cooperation of the wind and the Yankee Stadium ghosts to show a 99.7-mph four-seamer 1.2 ft off the middle of the plate into some well timed runs. With Max Scherzer having struggled down the stretch and each Chris Bassitt and José Berríos ending the common season sidelined as a consequence of accidents, the Blue Jays introduced solely three starters into the sequence, therefore the selection to go along with an all-reliever method for Recreation 4. Although Schneider talked about that Recreation 2 starter Trey Yesavage, who no-hit the Yankees for five 1/3 innings in simply his fourth main league begin, was obtainable for sure situations, he by no means needed to name his quantity.
One different cause for confidence, or no less than optimism on the Blue Jays’ half, was their earlier success in opposition to Schlittler, who himself was making simply his sixteenth main league begin since getting known as up on July 9. On August 30 in New York, the Jays chased him after he’d allowed 5 hits, two walks and 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings — the worst begin of his stellar half-season.
The Blue Jays rapidly did what the Pink Sox couldn’t in his eight-inning begin final week: rating a run on Schlittler. Leadoff hitter George Springer scalded his first pitch, a 97.3-mph fastball, into the left subject nook for a 107.5-mph double. After Nathan Lukes flied out, Guerrero sliced a cutter down the best subject line for an RBI double; six pitches in, the Blue Jays led 1-0. Addison Barger singled to proper to ship Guerrero to 3rd, however Alejandro Kirk popped out foul to catcher Austin Wells, after which Cody Bellinger slid into foul territory to catch Varsho’s fly ball down the left subject line.
Varland, making his fourth look within the sequence, allowed a loud single to Choose within the first inning and hit Paul Goldschmidt within the again with a 98-mph sinker with one out within the second earlier than yielding to lefty Mason Fluharty, who struck out each Wells and Anthony Volpe. Fluharty served up a solo homer to Ryan McMahon, simply the third he hit off a lefty all season and his first such homer since being acquired from the Rockies on July 25. However the Yankees couldn’t do some other injury in opposition to the subsequent 5 relievers Schneider known as upon, particularly Seranthony Domínguez, Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodríguez, Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher, who mixed to carry the Yankees to 2 hits and 5 walks over the subsequent 5 1/3 innings. Not till the sixth did the Yankees even put two males on base on the similar time; they did so in that inning when Lauer deliberately walked Choose with one out after which Yariel Rodríguez entered and walked Giancarlo Stanton earlier than retiring Chisholm on a groundball.
Schlittler didn’t have the identical form of swing-and-miss stuff on Wednesday night time as he did in opposition to the Pink Sox, however his four-seam fastball nonetheless averaged a scorching 98 mph and reached as excessive as 99.7 mph, and what he lacked in dominance, he made up for in effectivity. By means of 4 innings, he threw simply 47 pitches, producing 5 whiffs and 7 known as strikes, and from the second by way of the fourth gave up only one hit, a leadoff double to Barger within the fourth. He retired Clement, the eighth hitter within the lineup, within the second inning, nevertheless it required an ideal over-the-shoulder seize on a dying quail by Volpe in shallow left subject to take action.
Clement led off the fifth by taking a 97.6-mph four-seamer for a strike, then flaring a 94.6-mph cutter within the decrease third of the zone into left subject for a single. He sped to 3rd when Giménez adopted with a single to middle subject, and scored on a sacrifice fly when Springer flied out to middle.
The rating was nonetheless 2-1, and Schlittler nonetheless on the mound, when Clement batted once more with one out within the seventh, after Anthony Santander had fouled out to McMahon. On the primary pitch, Schlittler left a 98.4-mph fastball in the course of the zone, and Clement drilled it into proper subject for a single. Giménez adopted with a sizzling grounder up the center that deflected off the glove of Chisholm, who was clearly pondering double play; the ball caromed into middle subject as Clement took third.
That ended Schlittler’s night time at 88 pitches, 69 of which have been strikes. In 6 2/3 innings, he surrendered eight hits and struck out two, and for the second begin in a row didn’t stroll anyone. Devin Williams, who threw 26 pitches in Recreation 3, got here in and threw Springer seven straight changeups on the backside of the zone or simply beneath it, lastly placing him out, however Giménez stole second on the final of these. Two pitches later, Lukes singled to middle, bringing each runners house (the runs have been unearned), extending the Blue Jays result in 4-1.
The Blue Jays added one other within the eighth in opposition to Camilo Doval due to a leadoff double by Kirk after which, one out later, a bloop into proper subject by Myles Straw; Doval then hit Clement within the again with a 95.7-mph cutter, however he was quickly erased on a forceout.
Now trailing 5-1, the Yankees had their probability to tie the sport within the eighth. With two outs, Stanton singled off Fisher, and each Chisholm and pinch-hitter Ben Rice drew walks, the latter in opposition to nearer Jeff Hoffman, who nonetheless obtained Wells to hit a routine flyball to left subject on the primary pitch of his plate look. Although the Yankees tacked on a run within the ninth on to a pinch-double by Jasson Domínguez and a protracted single off the left subject wall by Choose, he was the final baserunner of their season; Bellinger struck out chasing a low-and-away splitter, and that was that. The Blue Jays gained their first playoff sequence since 2016, once they beat the Orioles within the AL Wild Card Recreation after which swept the Rangers within the Division Sequence earlier than falling to Cleveland in a five-game ALCS.
Clement, who hit ninth in opposition to righty Luis Gil in Recreation 1 and sixth in opposition to lefties Fried and Carlos Rodón in Video games 2 and three, wasn’t alone in stirring up bother on the backside of the lineup. For the sequence, the Blue Jays’ six by way of 9 hitters — a solid that at occasions included Varsho, Barger, Straw, and Giménez — mixed to bat .322/.390/.424 with 10 RBI, leaving Yankees pitchers fewer locations to show for outs and the Blue Jays to eight.5 runs per recreation for the sequence. What they lacked in energy (Clement was the one one to homer from a type of spots), they made up for with their excessive penchant for contact, placing out simply eight occasions in 68 plate appearances (11.7%), which on this case pressured a wobbly Yankees protection to make play — and generally they didn’t. Through the common season, the Blue Jays’ six by way of 9 hitters mixed to bat .253/.320/.388 for a 99 wRC+, fourth within the majors from these spots; their 18.7% strikeout price was the majors’ lowest, simply because the crew’s total price of 17.8% was the bottom as properly.
“I obtained plenty of accountability down on the backside of that lineup attempting to get on for our huge weapons,” Clement stated. “Giménez [who went 4-for-15 with a double] has additionally executed an incredible job getting on base. It appears like the underside of our order does one thing to assist us win actually each recreation. So I feel it’s been big.”
Amid the postgame celebration within the guests’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, the place gamers made beer angels on the ground, Clement was misplaced the revelry. “I don’t know the place I’m proper now!” he exclaimed. Quickly sufficient, he and the Blue Jays — the AL’s primary seed for the postseason — will discover themselves again on the Rogers Centre, ready to play the winner of the Mariners-Tigers Division Sequence.
Davy Andrews contributed to this report.