Dunedin Snapshots: Ernie Clement

By: Brian Frank

Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement is a lifelong Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan. The Rochester, New York native had some once-in-a-lifetime Western New York sports experiences this past offseason. Fresh off setting an MLB record for hits in a single postseason with 30, Clement toured new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park in December.

“I’m a Bill’s purist, so I was skeptical,” Clement told The Herd Chronicles of his visit to the Bills’ future home. “I wanted to stay in the old stadium. But after getting the tour, I was completely sold. It’s amazing. It’s going to be perfect for fan experience. They’re going to have just great facilities, and it should set them up to have a lot of success.”

Clement in Dunedin. Photo Credit: Brian Frank

That same day, he attended a Bills practice and received a surprise visit from star quarterback Josh Allen.

“It was cool,” Clement said. “They invited me to go to the practice and just kind of hang out—and he came over and said what’s up? We chatted for a little while. He just seems like an awesome guy. It was just cool to meet some of those guys and see a little behind-the-scenes work.”

Clement is also a big hockey fan. He starred on the ice at Rochester’s Brighton High School, where he played on a team made up of players from Brighton, Honeoye Falls, and East Rochester. He led the team in scoring during both his junior and senior seasons and led the league in scoring as a senior. He was twice named to the Bowman Cup Team, awarded to the top hockey players from the Rochester and Buffalo areas, and was also named to the All–Greater Rochester team as a senior. Still an avid hockey fan, Clement followed the recent Olympic hockey tournament closely and correctly predicted the teams in the gold medal game.

“We have it on in here all the time,” he said from the Blue Jays’ spring training clubhouse Thursday morning. “It’s lining up for the U.S. and Canada to have a chance to play each other. They’ve both got to get another win. But awesome hockey to watch. It’s the best guys in the world, and it doesn’t really get any more intense than that right there.”

Clement also received the star treatment from the Buffalo Sabres this offseason in what would become an unforgettable day. He attended the December 18 game against the Philadelphia Flyers and led the "Let's Go Buffalo" chant by banging the drum pregame to hype up fans at KeyBank Center. To make the day even more special, the game coincided with the start of the Sabres' turnaround in the standings.

“I mean, ever since I went to the game, they’ve taken off,” he said. “They’ve played really, really well. I think that was their third win in a row at the time, and they went on to win 10 in a row. Then I think they did it again. So, they’re set up to get to the playoffs for the first time in quite some time. It was a really, really awesome experience.”

Making the day even more special, Clement received news that he’d been invited to join the U.S. team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic on his way to the game.

“Just a really, really cool moment, just to get the call and go celebrate at the Sabres game together,” he said. “So it was special.”

“I really enjoyed watching in ’23,” he added about the WBC. “I had a couple buddies who were playing in it, and I always said it would be so cool to represent the United States. So to get the opportunity is such an honor.”

He’ll join a loaded U.S. team, joining superstars like Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Paul Skenes, and Tarik Skubal, in what may be the strongest roster the U.S. has ever sent to the tournament.

“Yeah, it’s pretty surreal,” he said. “I mean, just from playing against all these guys, they’re just incredible talent. They seem like awesome guys. So to be in the same locker room, it’s going to be fun.”

As our conversation ended, Clement added an emphatic, “Go Sabres! They’ve got a chance.”