Blue Jays postseason hero will represent Team USA in World Baseball Classic

When you do good things during a World Series run, people will start to take notice. In the case for Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, his tremendous performance during the Blue Jays postseason run is what likely earned him a spot now on Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Clement will now join the likes of Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Corbin Carroll, Kyle Schwarber, Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal and many others on a stacked American squad as they look to recapture the championship title after finishing runner-up to Japan in 2023. USA won the WBC once, back in 2017 led by a team that included former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman, and stars Andrew McCutchen, Christian Yelich, and Giancarlo Stanton.

Blue Jays postseason hero will represent Team USA in WBC

Who could fault the Americans in adding the Blue Jays postseason hero in Clement. After all, the Toronto infielder put together a historical performance for the Blue Jays, setting the MLB single postseason record of 30 hits in the process. In the end, Clement batted .411 with a .978 OPS, with 13 runs scored, six doubles, one home run and nine RBIs in 18 total playoff games. There was no question that he did more than his part in giving the Blue Jays the best chance at winning it all.

Perhaps nobody saw it coming because Clement actually had a slow start to his 2025 MLB regular season with Toronto when he hit just .218 with a .509 OPS and just five RBIs in his first 30 games of the year. However, he would quickly turn things around and ended up with a productive 2025 campaign as he batted .283 with a .734 OPS, together with 78 runs scored, 32 doubles, nine home runs and 45 RBIs the rest of the way. In doing so, it ultimately paved way to his unfathomable showing in the postseason.

That surprisingly clutch playoff performance was what likely caught the eye for Team USA, as they will count on Clement in raising his level of game play just like he did when the games mattered most. More importantly, the Blue Jays infielder can play multiple positions in the infield, which will provide ample flexibility for the Americans in constructing their lineup for each game.

So normally one might not expect Toronto fans cheering on Team USA in the tournament. But with one of their fan favourite in Clement on this year’s squad, his presence should help the team at least get some support from north of the border this time around.