The night of Nov. 1, Ernie Clement was inches from World Series immortality.
The night of Nov. 2, he was inches from a plate of chicken wings in his hometown.
Less than 24 hours after nearly becoming the hero in Game 7 for the Toronto Blue Jays — a moment that might have made him World Series MVP — Clement was back home in Rochester, standing inside the Pittsford Pub watching the Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs game like any other western New Yorker.
No parade. No confetti. Just a winter hat, a hoodie, and a room full of proud Rochesterians who showed up to cheer on Josh Allen on television but met one of the city’s most beloved sons in person.
The Brighton native and Blue Jays infielder, who set a Major League record with 30 hits in a single postseason, smiled inside the pub in a photo shared on social media Sunday evening, posing with three young fans holding freshly signed baseballs.
Clement is the first player from the Rochester area to appear in the World Series since 1954.
Just one night earlier, Clement almost had a walk-off winner to rewrite baseball history. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, he drove a ball deep into the gap in left-center that looked destined to give Toronto its first title since 1993. Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, inserted for defense two batters earlier, made a full-speed, leaping catch on the warning track, colliding with teammate Kiké Hernández but somehow holding on. Clement watched as he approached second base in disbelief. The Dodgers went on to win 5-4 in 11 innings to capture the championship.
Clement, 29, finished Game 7 with three hits, extending his postseason hitting streak to 13 games. He batted 411 in the playoffs with one home run and nine RBI.
Clement, who was nominated for a Gold Glove at two positions in 2025, fielded questions after the loss as passionately as he fields high hoppers to third base. He stood in the clubhouse still in full uniform, eye black on his face and dirt on his knees, after most of his teammates had showered and changed.
“The only thing I can think of right now is spending this last night with all the boys. I’m just going to miss them in the offseason,” a teary-eyed Clement said after Game 7. “I couldn’t wait to come to the field every day and just hang with everybody. I’ve been crying for probably an hour. I thought I was done with the tears but I just love these guys so much.
“It was so much fun coming to work every day and battling with these guys. We have so much to be proud of. We gave it everything we had. When you fall short but you can say that you left it all out there, there’s something to be proud of there.”
At 1 a.m., Clement had a hole in his uniform pants. By 4 p.m., he was at the Pittsford Pub. The major leaguer who shined bright in the World Series smiling like a kid in a candy store was back to being a Brighton kid smiling at a local sports bar.
The record-setting Blue Jay, home again, cheering for another blue-collar team in blue and red.The night of Nov. 1, Ernie Clement was inches from World Series immortality.
The night of Nov. 2, he was inches from a plate of chicken wings in his hometown.
Less than 24 hours after nearly becoming the hero in Game 7 for the Toronto Blue Jays — a moment that might have made him World Series MVP — Clement was back home in Rochester, standing inside the Pittsford Pub watching the Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs game like any other western New Yorker.
No parade. No confetti. Just a winter hat, a hoodie, and a room full of proud Rochesterians who showed up to cheer on Josh Allen on television but met one of the city’s most beloved sons in person.
The Brighton native and Blue Jays infielder, who set a Major League record with 30 hits in a single postseason, smiled inside the pub in a photo shared on social media Sunday evening, posing with three young fans holding freshly signed baseballs.
Clement is the first player from the Rochester area to appear in the World Series since 1954.
Just one night earlier, Clement almost had a walk-off winner to rewrite baseball history. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, he drove a ball deep into the gap in left-center that looked destined to give Toronto its first title since 1993. Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, inserted for defense two batters earlier, made a full-speed, leaping catch on the warning track, colliding with teammate Kiké Hernández but somehow holding on. Clement watched as he approached second base in disbelief. The Dodgers went on to win 5-4 in 11 innings to capture the championship.
Clement, 29, finished Game 7 with three hits, extending his postseason hitting streak to 13 games. He batted 411 in the playoffs with one home run and nine RBI.
Clement, who was nominated for a Gold Glove at two positions in 2025, fielded questions after the loss as passionately as he fields high hoppers to third base. He stood in the clubhouse still in full uniform, eye black on his face and dirt on his knees, after most of his teammates had showered and changed.
“The only thing I can think of right now is spending this last night with all the boys. I’m just going to miss them in the offseason,” a teary-eyed Clement said after Game 7. “I couldn’t wait to come to the field every day and just hang with everybody. I’ve been crying for probably an hour. I thought I was done with the tears but I just love these guys so much.
“It was so much fun coming to work every day and battling with these guys. We have so much to be proud of. We gave it everything we had. When you fall short but you can say that you left it all out there, there’s something to be proud of there.”
At 1 a.m., Clement had a hole in his uniform pants. By 4 p.m., he was at the Pittsford Pub. The major leaguer who shined bright in the World Series smiling like a kid in a candy store was back to being a Brighton kid smiling at a local sports bar.
The record-setting Blue Jay, home again, cheering for another blue-collar team in blue and red.
Leave a Reply