Former Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a shocking move Thursday, deciding to participate for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and revealed the role he expects to take on during the tournament.
Kershaw retired from MLB at the end of the 2025 season, but announced he would join Team USA’s pitching staff in March. In the tournament, Kershaw expects to be used out of the bullpen — just as he was in the postseason.
“Kershaw figures to be part of the bullpen, as he was during the Dodgers’ World Series run this past October,” The Athletic’s Andy McCullough wrote.
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The left-hander very rarely came out of the bullpen for the Dodgers throughout his career, with just four of his 455 regular season appearances coming in relief. He made one such appearance for the Dodgers in 2025, pitching a scoreless inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks towards the end of the regular season.
He went on to make two more relief appearances for the Dodgers in the postseason, allowing four earned runs through 2.1 innings pitched.
Despite his shaky relief numbers in 2025, Kershaw had a solid season altogether in Dodger blue. He finished the regular season with a 3.36 ERA through 23 appearances, striking out 84 batters in 112.2 innings pitched. He surpassed the 3,000 strikeouts mark and managed a few fantastic starts for LA throughout the season.
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Kershaw also commented on potentially facing former teammate and reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani, which he hasn’t had to do since the two-way star came to LA.
“I am not going to pitch to Shohei in any meaningful game,” Kershaw said. “I’ll tell you that right now. He would hit it so far off me right now.”
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Clayton Kershaw’s Dominance Over Shohei Ohtani Stands Out
Kershaw has fared well against Ohtani in his career thus far, though, as he has never allowed a hit to the superstar. Ohtani is 0-for-11 against him during his MLB career. While he doesn’t want to square off against his former teammate, Team USA will hope he can make a difference elsewhere and continue to dominate the baseball world as they pursue the second WBC title in their history.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
