Clayton Kershaw’s WBC Stint With Team USA Ends With One Beer and No Appearances

There wasn’t a storybook ending for the Dodgers’ now-retired 11-time All-Star.

Kershaw looks on during Team USA’s 5-3 win over Canada on Friday night. | Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images

Clayton Kershaw did not get the storybook ending in red, white and blue that many were hoping for.

Following Team USA’s 5–3 win over Canada in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals Friday night, Kershaw was replaced on the U.S. roster by Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman. It marks an official end to Kershaw’s career on the mound after the future Hall of Famer announced his retirement from MLB last fall.

In five WBC games, Kershaw didn’t make a single appearance for Team USA. But he has no regrets about putting on a baseball uniform one last time.

RELATED: How U.S. Survived Scare From Canada and Advanced to World Baseball Classic Semifinals

“I’m definitely glad I did it,” Kershaw said Friday of joining Team USA for the WBC [via MLB.com]. “Being around this group is a fun way to end it, honestly. I got to know some of these guys that are kind of the faces of the game moving forward, and I got to meet them and watch them up close. It’s been a blessing.”

Kershaw not getting a chance to pitch was hardly his doing. His role on the team was clear—he’d be a “break glass in case of emergency” reliever to come in and mop up a blowout win. Surely there would be plenty of opportunities there on a star-studded U.S. roster, right? ... Not so much.

The U.S. blew out Brazil 15–5 to start its WBC schedule, but it was an 8–5 game heading into the ninth inning. Team USA defeated Great Britain 9–1 the following night, but again, that was a tight game until the later innings. A 5–3 nail-biting win over Mexico didn’t provide any opportunities for Kershaw, and neither did Team USA’s shocking 8–6 loss to Italy that put them on the brink of elimination.

It was known that Friday would be Kershaw’s final game with the U.S., and the Americans did jump out to a 5–0 lead and looked like they would run away with it to set up some potential Kershaw innings. But Canada rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and kept the game within reach, so Kershaw stayed in the bullpen.

Kershaw might not have toed the rubber one last time, but he did get a beer delivered to him in the sixth inning of Team USA’s win Friday night.

Kershaw getting a cold one 😅 pic.twitter.com/T4OY7ESYbG

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 14, 2026

Now officially off the roster, Kershaw told reporters after the game that he plans to head home and fly to Miami with his family to cheer on Team USA in the WBC semifinals Sunday night, and potentially, the championship on Tuesday.

Why Clayton Kershaw never pitched in the World Baseball Classic

An 11-time All-Star for the Dodgers, Kershaw won three Cy Young awards and two World Series titles over his Hall of Fame-worthy career. But the World Baseball Classic was the last thing on Kershaw’s baseball bucket list.

Kershaw was wrapping up his senior year of high school in 2006, the first edition of the WBC. He wasn’t selected to the U.S. roster in 2009, and he declined an invite in ‘13. In 2017, Kershaw opted not to participate, and he planned to play in the 2023 WBC but was removed from the roster because he couldn’t secure insurance due to his injury history.

In 2026, Kershaw did join Team USA for the WBC just a few months after announcing his retirement. He appeared in one exhibition game against the Rockies, allowing two earned runs and a walk over 2/3 innings, but did not get to pitch in an actual WBC contest.

Kershaw did win a silver medal with the 2005 18U national team at the COPABE “AAA” Pan American Championships in Mexico, allowing no runs on three hits in four innings of work as a teenager. Little did he know that would be the final meaningful innings he would throw in a U.S. uniform.

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