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Ernie Clement keeps making headlines.
The Brighton native turned Major League Baseball player starred in the 2025 postseason. He’ll now represent the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

What’s more? Clement received more All-Star fan votes than any other American League player.
Clement became a fan favorite in Toronto a decade after concluding his Section V baseball career at Brighton High School. He’s now enjoying the spotlight after an improbable path to stardom.
“It’s a really cool honor,” Clement told reporters after the first phase of All-Star voting ended Thursday, June 25. “I feel the love from Canada and all the Blue Jays fans. It means a lot.”
More: Blue Jays star and Brighton native leads AL in MLB All-Star voting
Clement’s 3,232,932 votes led all American League players in Phase 1 of the MLB’s 2026 All-Star fan vote. That earned him a guaranteed start at second base when Citizens Bank Park hosts the game on Tuesday, July 14.

Clement owns a .294 batting average as of Friday, June 26, posting seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 78 games played. His 20 doubles lead the American League.
“(Clement) is a likeable guy who got put on the stage in the postseason, and he’s carried it over,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “For a guy we picked up off the waiver wire from Oakland a few years ago to be here right now? It’s pretty cool.”
Cleveland selected Clement in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft from the University of Virginia. He appeared in 103 games with Cleveland during 2021-22 before a short-lived stint with the Athletics.
Toronto acquired Clement in 2023. Two years later, he set an MLB record with 30 hits in the 2025 postseason, batting .411. Toronto fell one win short of a championship.

Clement, a 2014 Brighton High School graduate, was the fourth player born in the Rochester area to appear in a World Series and the first since 1954. He was also a Gold Glove finalist and played with Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Jeff Uveino joined the USA Today Network in 2023 and began covering Rochester-area high school sports in 2026. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication and native of Perry. Contact him at juveino@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino and on Instagram @jeffusports.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brighton’s Clement wins All-Star voting, will start for American Legue
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