How the Blue Jays’ ‘Buffalo Boys’ Schneider, Horwitz and Clement became a group of brothers

Earlier this season, several Buffalo Bisons players, including Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider and Spencer Horwitz, met on Sundays. With perpetual days off on Mondays, the group of minor leaguers would head to Elmwood Avenue in downtown Buffalo for drinks and food.

Forty Thieves, one of the only bars open on Sundays, has become the watering hole of choice. Clement ordered wings and a cold Blue Light – “The Buffalo Special,” he called it.

Eventually, these informal outings became an important tradition.

“In order to have a successful and united team, a team that is all on the same wavelength, I think we have to get off the field,” Clément said. “The best way to do that is just go have a beer after a game or go to dinner with them, whatever it is. It’s so important.

Clement is only 27 years old, but he has a veteran temperament and, compared to Schneider and Horwitz, he has some scars in the game. Before signing a minor league contract with the Blue Jays last offseason, Clement has bounced around among the bigs, debuting with Cleveland in 2021, then serving a brief stint in Oakland.

As Clement bounced between the Guardians and their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, he took it all in. Cleveland veterans, especially wide receiver Austin Hedges, stressed the importance of stepping away from the game and just having fun, especially when the club was struggling in the win-loss column. This way, the guys created memories that went beyond the chalk lines.

“That’s the path to success for a lot of these teams,” Clement said. “You’ll see teams that maybe don’t have the highest payroll or spend the most money in free agency, (and) most of the time, those good teams are really close.

So, from the start, Clement fostered this brotherly environment for his younger (but slightly younger) Triple-A teammates. Now, the “Buffalo Boys” trio of Clement, Horwitz and Schneider has a unique and significant impact on the Blue Jays.

Horwitz has a keen eye and a sly touch to the dish. Clement has a fast bat and an even faster glove up the middle. And Schneider, a muscular rookie with a penchant for Ruthian homers, had a 1.379 OPS in his first 15 major league games, setting a modern-era record.

The Bisons were playing a road game on August 4 in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, when Schneider made his Blue Jays debut at Fenway Park and homered in his first at-bat. Once the Buffalo club finished its defensive round, all the players rushed into the tunnel to watch a replay of Schneider’s majestic bomb on the Green Monster.

“We’ve invested a lot,” said catcher Tyler Heineman, who split time between the Blue Jays and Bisons in 2023. “That’s not always how it happens, but good people deserve only good Things happen to them, I think. Schneider is a class act, and for him to achieve this early success, I think there really is no one more deserving.

The Bisons were inspired by each other’s success. Like a chain reaction, a Triple-A player was called up, which motivated the other guys to work harder.

“That’s what I think makes a team so special, especially this time of year,” Horwitz said. “You have to be really close to each other, be that band of brothers that support each other and fight for each other.”

It’s one thing to have a positive attitude on a major league team, but life in the minors isn’t as glamorous. It’s a chore. And players rely on their teammates for pep during their bus rides through boring towns or their bland meals in rundown Triple-A clubhouses.

“It’s a lot easier to be a good teammate and show up with a smile on your face when you have everything you could want,” Horwitz said. “(In the minors), you always have to be the same guy, no matter the situation.”

Clement’s advice has been great, but for Horwitz it has been very special to embark on this journey with a close friend like Schneider.

Schneider and Horwitz were roommates in Buffalo. They play golf together when they have time. Horwitz said Schneider is “a stick” on the course and much better than him. Now they both occupy the right side of the Blue Jays infield in the midst of a playoff run in September.

“(It’s been) everything I could have imagined,” Horwitz said with a big smile on his face. “To join this team in September and play baseball in a very meaningful way is second to none. It’s everything you dream of as a kid.

And as Schneider and Horwitz continue to thrive, Clément vibrates alongside them, savoring the pleasure but also carrying a touch of pride, knowing that his two youngest teammates belong in the big leagues.

“They’re just solid guys,” Clement said. “They weren’t top picks. We didn’t give them anything. They deserved all the success.

“It’s no coincidence that they are very successful. It’s really cool to see all this work pay off. They bust their asses; They’re busting their tails, so I’m just happy for them.