Ernie Clement’s new first‑person piece in The Players’ Tribune lands just as the Toronto Blue Jays prepare to open their season at home on Friday, with the fan-favourite discussing his rise from minor-league signing to near-World Series hero.The 30-year-old enters the new season on Friday with even bigger expectations as an everyday player as the club looks for someone, or a collective group, to fill the absence of Bo Bichette, who departed as a free agent.Clement wrote candidly about the early years of his career, when he bounced between organizations and struggled to find traction at the plate, describing the grind of trying to stay afloat in the minors and the uncertainty that came with being released, waived, and overlooked. “Of the minor league deals I got offered as a free agent, a few were for more money. But Toronto was the only team that offered me regular at-bats. They promised I’d be in the lineup ‘four or five times a week.’ That was all I needed to hear,” penned Clement.Clement explains that Toronto’s faith in him — even when his numbers didn’t demand it at first — changed the trajectory of his career. He wrote about the Blue Jays’ clubhouse culture, the teammates who helped him settle in, and the sense of belonging that allowed him to play freely for the first time.“As the season kept going, I started swinging the bat a little bit,” Clement explained. “And we started winning a lot. And pretty soon, more and more people started to recognize me. And then more and more people started to come up to me to chat, or to give me knucks, or to wish me good luck. And by the end of the season? I’d even have people waiting outside my building on game day.”Clement was one of the 2025 season’s best stories in Toronto, finishing with nine home runs, 50 RBIs, and 35 doubles across 135 games.Ernie Clement hits a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.The World Series run that changed everythingClement also reflected on last season’s run to the World Series, where he became one of the breakout stories of October. He described the atmosphere inside the clubhouse, the belief that grew with each win, and the surreal feeling of contributing on baseball’s biggest stage. “So then it’s Game 7, another walkoff situation, and I come up against [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto. First pitch … I have this feeling he’s throwing me a big curveball. I figure they know I’m on the fastball, always, so they’re gonna try to get me out front, to roll one over. So in my head I’m like, ‘If it’s first pitch curveball … no matter what … I’m putting my best swing on it. Then he spins the curve right in there,” Clement revealed.“And when I tell you I put my best swing on that pitch? It’s the absolute truth. Off the bat, I thought it might be a home run, I really did. I’ve hit that exact ball in our stadium before. It was earlier in the season, with the roof open, so the ball was carrying more, but I’ve hit it, and it’s been gone. And I hit this one…. and I see both those dudes running after it….. and I’m like, ‘Alright … that’s off the wall, at least!!! I JUST WALKED US OFF TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES.“And then they collide…..… and I don’t see the ball…..…. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God. One of them caught it.’ Two innings later, it was over,” Clement wrote.The contact-first Clement finished the postseason hitting .411/.416/.562 across 18 games. His 22 singles set a postseason record. Clement enters the 2026 season as the club’s starting second baseman and should also see ample playing time at third base and shortstop. He could also spell Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, if needed.“I’m also excited for us to try again this season. I know my career won’t last forever … but I know the little kid in me would be proud of how I’m smiling and having fun out there, the same way I did all those years ago in the backyard,” Clement wrote in the Tribune. “I hope that comes through — the joy this game brings me every day. Baseball is my favorite thing in the world, man. And I’m so honored I get to play it with the Jays and in Toronto.”