On the eve of the Dodgers’ final regular season series at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement. There would be one final regular season start at home, then one final regular season start at Seattle, then one final World Series appearance at Dodger Stadium, then one final World Series championship celebration at Dodger Stadium.
“I know they’re going to get one more next year,” Kershaw told the crowd, “and I’m going to watch just like all of you.”
This is Hollywood, so get me rewrite. Kershaw did not change his retirement script Thursday, but he did alter it, joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
Team USA opens the World Baseball Classic in Kershaw’s home state of Texas, facing Brazil on March 6. For all that Kershaw has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career — a most valuable player award, three Cy Young awards, three World Series championships, 3,000 strikeouts and a no-hitter among them — he never has participated in the World Baseball Classic.
Kershaw committed to play for Team USA in 2023, saying it would be “probably my last chance to do it.” He was unable to secure the insurance required for MLB participants after spending time on the injured list in 2022 because of a back injury.
“It’s just such a great group that it would have been really fun to be a part of,” Kershaw said then. “It’s almost like an All-Star Game with meaning. I was getting really excited about it.”
At the height of his career, Kershaw would have been an easy choice to start the most important games for Team USA. But the Team USA roster features Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal as well as top starters Logan Webb and Joe Ryan, so Kershaw appears more likely to make any appearances out of the bullpen.
That is how the Dodgers used him in the postseason. Kershaw made two relief appearances during their championship run, most memorably in the 12th inning of Game 3 of the World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays had the bases loaded with two out, and Kershaw came in to retire Nathan Lukes on a ground ball, in a dramatic eight-pitch at-bat.
Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein combined to follow Kershaw with six scoreless innings, and the Dodgers won in the 18th inning — their only World Series victory at Dodger Stadium — on a home run by Freddie Freeman.
This will be the sixth World Baseball Classic. Team USA has won once, in 2017 at Dodger Stadium. Japan has won three times, including the most recent tournament in 2023, with Shohei Ohtani striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out.
Kershaw will join longtime Dodgers catcher Will Smith on Team USA. The WBC finals this year are scheduled for Miami from March 15-17.