By PATRICK WALSH
Every Opening Day sparks the beginning of something new. A fresh start for a player. A chance for a team to prove that either last season was a fluke, or that it was meant to be. The opportunity for fans to come out of “hibernation” after the offseason.
For Ernie Clement (Brighton), it’s a chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues, making the Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day roster.
“I had quite the uphill climb to get back to the Major Leagues,” Clement told 13WHAM’s Dan Fetes. “I had some obstacles to get through to make this Opening Day roster.”
Clement appeared in 30 games for the Blue Jays in 2023, slashing .380/.385/.500 and driving in 10 runs. After bouncing between the big-league club and Triple-A Buffalo in 2023, Clement aims to make his stay in the Majors last longer this season.
“This is a group I want to be a part of and I did everything I could to stick around. I busted my tail and it’s nice to be rewarded with that.”
Clement added that he understands his role with the Blue Jays.
“I have to be ready for everything, pinch-running, pinch-hitting and a bunch of starts, but they are going to play the matchup. They have a core group of guys who will play every day in the first five, six spots in that order and then it will shuffle after that.”
Clement played at the University of Virginia, where he was a part of the Cavaliers’ 2015 National Championship team his freshman year. Cleveland drafted the infielder in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
He has 334 career major-league at-bats, hitting .231 with 45 RBI and four home runs.
Clement made the Opening Day roster with Cleveland in 2022. He played six games with the Oakland Athletics in 2022.
“I’ve been able to take a step back and I am very appreciative of the opportunity. My goal is to help them win every day and take it one day at a time.”
“I had a clear head. I had a good idea of where I was at and what I needed to do to make the team. I showed up early, I worked hard in the offseason so I just took care of business.”
Toronto opens the 2024 season on the road at Tampa Bay on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 4:10 p.m.
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