The Toronto Blue Jays wanted Ernie Clement to bunt. They were up a run in the fourth inning with two men on. Clement missed the sign. But in the end, everything worked out. That's because Clement proceeded to launch a three-run home run, putting the Blue Jays up 4-0 in a game they went on to win 5-1.

Shohei Ohtani led off the game with his 41st homer, but Ernie Clement hit the tiebreaking homer leading off the ninth inning, and the AL-leading Toronto Blue Jays hung on to avoid a series sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leading off the top of the ninth for the Toronto Blue Jays in a tie game in Los Angeles, Clement crushed the first pitch he saw beyond the left-field fence to take the lead against the Dodgers. The lefty-masher strikes again. Clement entered the day with a .936 OPS against southpaws. That's higher now.

The Blue Jays gave Clement a late-season chance in 2023, and he hit .380 in a small sample size. In 2024, he was steady if not a star, batting .263 with a career-high 12 homers and 12 steals.

DETROIT (AP) Ernie Clement and Joey Loperfido hit back-to back hit home runs in the fifth inning to help the surging Toronto Blue Jays rout the slumping Detroit Tigers 11-4 on Thursday night in a matchup of first-place teams going in opposite directions.

Target Alejandro Kirk's total bases prop for today's Blue Jays pick, odds & expert prediction against the Rangers on Saturday, August 16.