TORONTO (AP) — 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.
Tampa Bay played 20 games in four playoff rounds that year following 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 Los Angeles 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 .417 by getting three hits in his first four at-bats of Game 7. He has one home run and nine RBIs.
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 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 nine home runs and 50 RBIs.
He set career highs with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Blue Jays in 2024.
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