In defeat, Ernie Clement sets MLB record for playoff hits

TORONTO — With three hits in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday night, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement set a major league record with 30 hits in one postseason.

Clement broke the mark previously held by Randy Arozarena, who had 29 hits as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2020 postseason. Arozarena and the Rays, like the Blue Jays on Saturday night, lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Tampa Bay played 20 games in four playoff rounds that year after a pandemic-shortened regular season. Toronto played 18 games in three playoff rounds this season.

Clement singled in the second inning Saturday, singled and scored in the sixth and broke the record with a leadoff double in the eighth that chased Dodgers reliever Emmet Sheehan.

Clement also extended his hitting streak to 13 games, a Blue Jays postseason record. Toronto catcher Pat Borders had a 12-game hitting streak in 1992.

Playing in his first postseason, Clement boosted his batting average to .411 after going 3-for-5 in Game 7. He had one home run and nine RBIs in the playoffs.

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Clement nearly won the World Series for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth, but his long drive to left-center was caught on the warning track with the bases loaded, sending Game 7 to extra innings with the score tied at 4.

Clement, 29, was drafted by Cleveland in 2017 but designated for assignment in September 2022. He was claimed by the Athletics later that month but released the following spring before signing a minor league deal with Toronto.

Clement played in a career-high 157 games during the regular season, appearing at all four infield positions. He hit .277 with 9 home runs and 50 RBIs.

He set career highs with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Blue Jays in 2024.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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