Clayton Kershaw Had a Very Honest Line About Facing Shohei Ohtani in WBC

Clayton Kershaw rode off into the sunset in perfect fashion last fall when he announced his retirement after capturing yet another World Series with the Dodgers. He'll now watch the clock as time ticks down until his certain Hall of Fame induction. But one of the greatest lefty pitchers in history is not done lacing them up and facing off against hitters.

Kershaw is joining Team USA for one last ride in the World Baseball Classic as part of a pitching staff deep enough to not really need too much for him. And he revealed that there's one specific matchup he wouldn't mind avoiding while doing his part for the tournament favorites.

That would be with his former Dodgers teammate, Shohei Ohtani. Kershaw weighed in on the hypothetical situation of facing the slugger with some self-deprecation.

“I think, for our country’s sake, it’s probably better if I don’t,” he said.

As far as a game plan against Ohtani, the pitcher kept it pretty simple while stressing that there might be other options his manager, Mark DeRosa, would want to explore if it came to that.

“It’s throw it, pitch away, play away, hope he flies out to left,” Kershaw said. “Don’t throw it in his barrel.

“I can’t imagine, if it comes down to USA versus Japan, with the arms that we have, that I’ll be needed. But I’ll be ready.”

This is a pretty cool last chapter for Kershaw to write. He played a similar role for the Dodgers in last year's postseason, throwing 2 1/3 innings and surrendering four earned runs while watching the rest of the pitching staff work its way to a title. So he does have some experience in the department.

More MLB on Sports Illustrated