Clayton Kershaw has thrown his last major league pitch, but he’ll give it one last go in the World Baseball Classic, pitching for the United States in the international tournament this March. It was announced on Thursday morning. Kershaw was originally slated to pitch for Team USA during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but had […]
Clayton Kershaw has thrown his last major league pitch, but he’ll give it one last go in the World Baseball Classic, pitching for the United States in the international tournament this March. It was announced on Thursday morning.
Kershaw was originally slated to pitch for Team USA during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but had to bow out of the competition due to issues in securing insurance for the tournament. This will be Kershaw’s first time pitching in the WBC.
“It’s super disappointing. We tried a lot of different things. All sides really tried to make it work,” Kershaw said three years ago. “Nothing is wrong with me. It just didn’t work out. I really wanted to do it. I really wanted to be a part of that group. It was probably my last chance to get to do it, so I really wanted to do it, but it just didn’t work out for a number of reasons.”
Now with no major league season to prepare for and no major league team to join, that removes some level of risk for Kershaw heading into the WBC.
Team USA begins play in Pool B on March 6 at Daikin Park in Houston, with round robin play and three games, with the top two of the four teams advancing to the knockout stage. Should USA advance, a quarterfinal game would also be in Houston on March 13 or 14. Tournament semifinals are at loanDepot Park in Miami on March 15 and 16, with the championship game in Miami on March 17, two days shy of Kershaw’s 38th birthday.
Kershaw retired in November after his 18th season, a career that included three Cy Young Awards, a National League MVP, three strikeout titles, and five ERA titles. Now he’ll add the World Baseball Classic to his résumé.
Category: General Sports
