Retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been added to Team USA's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, marking his debut in the tournament after withdrawing from the 2023 edition due to insurance issues. The 37-year-old, who retired from MLB at the end of the 2025 season after helping the Dodgers win the World Series, said he is preparing just enough to pitch in the March event without plans for an MLB return.
Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, 2014 National League MVP, three-time World Series champion, and member of the 3,000-strikeout club, was added to Team USA's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on January 15, 2026, via USA Baseball's social media. The announcement caps his 18-year MLB career with the Dodgers, where he posted an 11-2 record and 3.36 ERA in 23 appearances during his final 2025 season. His career hits per nine innings (6.912) ranks sixth in MLB history, and his .699 win-loss percentage is fourth best.
Kershaw retired in September 2025 following the Dodgers' second straight World Series title, a 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 at Rogers Centre. Warming up in the bullpen, he missed the final out and learned of the win from coach Josh Bard. Recalling the moment on the 'On Base With Mookie Betts' podcast, Kershaw said: 'I had no idea we won the World Series. I was warming up... And then Bardo is in my face, ‘Why are you throwing? It’s over. We won the World Series.’'
This marks Kershaw's first WBC appearance. Speaking to The Athletic, he emphasized: 'I am throwing just enough to make it for 10 days. I’m not pitching this season — so I figured this is the perfect time to try the WBC. I really want to be a part of it. Why not?' In an MLB Network interview, he joked to manager Mark DeRosa: 'I just want to be the insurance policy... if anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don't need me to pitch at all, I'm just there to be there.' Kershaw expects a bullpen role, similar to late 2025, and quipped about a potential matchup with former teammate Shohei Ohtani of Japan: 'I am not going to pitch to Shohei in any meaningful game. He would hit it so far off me right now.'
Team USA, seeking redemption after the 2023 final loss to Japan, boasts a star-studded roster including pitchers Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Logan Webb, Joe Ryan, Clay Holmes, and hitters Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., and Kyle Schwarber. The tournament runs March 5-17 across Miami, Houston, Tokyo, and San Juan, with Team USA opening Pool B against Brazil on March 6 at Daikin Park in Houston after exhibitions against the San Francisco Giants on March 3-4 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
