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.
Both teams lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Clement singled in the second inning of Game 7, singled and scored in the sixth and broke the postseason 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, when he was the World Series MVP against Atlanta.
Playing in his first postseason, Clement batted .411 (30 for 73) with one home run and nine RBIs. He finished 3 for 5 in Game 7 of the Series, but the Blue Jays lost 5-4 in 11 innings.
Clement nearly won the title for Toronto in the bottom of the ninth, but his long drive to left-center was caught on the warning track with the bases loaded, sending the game to extra innings with the score tied at 4.
“I’ve been crying for like probably for an hour,” Clement said long after the final out. “I thought I was done with the tears.”
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.
He played in a career-high 157 games during the 2025 regular season, appearing at all four infield positions. He hit .277 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs.
Clement set career highs with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Blue Jays in 2024.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb