Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw Will Not Be Pitching in the WBC After All

In a pretty sudden turn of events, Dodgers star LHP Clayton Kershaw announced at spring training that he will not be pitching in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, after all. In December, he excited the baseball world when he said he would be pitching in the games. However, now at spring training, he decided to bow out.

Kershaw said it was disappointing that he wouldn’t be able to play, and called it frustrating, but didn’t go into any specifics about why this decision is being made.

He had the Dodgers’ full support to go, and said he’s fully healthy, but I guess it just didn’t work out.

On Wednesday, Kershaw did speak about potential complications in finalizing his participation.

“There’s some complications right now,” Kershaw said on Wednesday. “Still working through some of that stuff now. I don’t have any finite answers. But assuming I’m on the team, I’ll be there when everybody else is. That’s all I really have on that one.”

And Team USA’s manager Mark DeRosa spoke to The Athletic about all the avenues Kershaw was trying to pursue to make this dream a reality.

“I’m blown away that he was willing to pursue every avenue to try and put the USA across his chest and represent us in the WBC,” DeRosa said to The Athletic. “At the end of the day, it just seemed like there were way too many things he had to do.”

For baseball fans, it’s a huge bummer that the greatest pitcher of this generation won’t be playing on the national stage. However, for Dodger fans, there is a little bit of relief that Kershaw won’t be throwing any additional innings ahead of his 16th season in the league.

Hopefully everything is okay with Kershaw, and he doesn’t get too hung up in not being able to go. But at least Dodger fans won’t have to hold their breath for the first few weeks of March every time Kershaw gets on the mound for Team USA.

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