Is there anything that Ernie Clement can’t do?
One of the Toronto Blue Jays’ heroes during their run to the World Series, Clement earned plenty of praise for his versatility on the baseball field.
It turns out that the budding star is an excellent athlete in other sports, too.
Clement — who set an MLB record for most hits in a postseason with 30 — is taking his talents to the golf course this week, competing in the Capital One MLB Open at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.
Clement, 29, seems to be as comfortable on the greens as he is on the Rogers Centre turf.
MLB shared a clip of the Blue Jays infielder sinking a nice putt during the tournament on Wednesday.
“Ernie Clement has the most hits in a single Postseason in MLB history AND can drill putts on the course,” the official account shared on X.
Clement is competing alongside Blue Jays legend Joe Carter in the three-day event, which included a Pro-Am event on Wednesday.
According MLB.com, the main event will feature a two-day tournament with a competitive field of current and former MLB players. A “unique scoring system will turn every hole into a chance for players to climb the leaderboard.”
Some of the current and former MLB stars competing include Jimmy Rollins, John Smoltz and David Wright, while former Jays David Price, Justin Turner and Dan Plesac also will be teeing it up.
While play will wrap up on Friday, results won’t be known until the made-for-TV event airs on Nov. 18.
Clement multi-talented
Clement certainly is a man of many talents. While his baseball heroics are now well-known and is golfing currently is in the spotlight, the Rochester, N.Y., native also was a high school hockey star.
According to Daily Faceoff, Clement scored 70 goals in 79 total games at Brighton High School, including 27 goals in 20 games during his senior season.
Clement’s fine play in the field earned him two Gold Glove nominations this year — at third base and as a utility player. However, despite leading the Majors in defensive runs saved, Clement fell short in both categories. He is, however a favourite to win the MLB Heart and Hustle Award, an honour given annually to a player who “demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”
Clement went viral last week when, less than 24 hours after the final heartbreaking out of Game 7, he was at one of his favourite hometown haunts, the Pittsford Pub.
He was seen wearing a hoodie and winter hat, relaxing with some drinks and chicken wings while watching the Buffalo Bills take on — and defeat — the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clement is a big supporter of the Bills, having worn their jersey to Jays games in the past.
Of course, the local celebrity drew some attention from fellow patrons, and he signed some baseballs and posed for a photo with three young fans.