Clayton Kershaw to suit up for Team USA at World Baseball Classic

Clayton Kershaw is getting one more turn on a familiar stage.

Just months after signalling the end of his MLB career, the decorated left-hander has committed to pitching for Team USA at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, USA Baseball announced Thursday.

Kershaw, 36, finished his MLB career as a three-time World Series champion, 11-time All-Star, three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 NL MVP.

This won’t be his first taste of the World Baseball Classic. Kershaw pitched for Team USA in 2013, at a time when top American starters were still reluctant to participate. His involvement then was viewed as a signal of legitimacy for a tournament still fighting for buy-in from MLB’s biggest arms.

For Team USA, it means adding a veteran presence with championship experience to a pitching staff that includes some top-end talent like Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Clay Holmes, Logan Webb and David Bednar.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will run from March 5–17, with games hosted across the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico. Team USA will open pool play in Houston, where it is set to begin the tournament against Brazil, before facing Mexico, Italy and Great Britain.

Team USA finished runner-up at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The Americans advanced all the way to the final before falling 3–2 to Japan in a highly anticipated championship game in Miami — a tournament that ended with Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout.