The Blue Jays have built an identity as a never-say-die, run-out-every-ground-ball, get-dirty team in their climb to first place in the American League East, but one player stands above the rest.

Infielder Ernie Clement was named the Jays’ 2025 nominee for the Heart and Hustle award this week. The award, created by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association in 2005, is given annually to “an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the value, spirit and traditions of the game.”

Clement is often the picture of grit on the field, but he has taken it to an extra level this week, playing with a broken left hand and 10 stitches in his left leg. The first occurred when he was hit by a 93-m.p.h. Joe Ryan fastball in the first inning of Mo

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