Dodgers: Julio Urias Addresses Possibility of Pitching Against Clayton Kershaw
The rosters have been finalized and the schedules are set for the World Baseball Classic. On Sunday, March 12, Team USA is expected to host Team Mexico for both teams' second game of the tournament.
Why is this worth noting? Well because two of the current best pitchers in the MLB could be pitching against one another.
Those two pitchers just happen to be teammates as well.
Here's the tweet, tweeted by Erick Aguirre, Dodgers Spanish language beat writer, translated to English:
Julio Urías talks about a possible pitching duel against Clayton Kershaw at WBC 2023:
“Hopefully and it happens, we know what he means to this country. Having him as a partner [probably more accurately translated to “teammate”], I’ve always said, is a blessing and being able to face him would be another blessing.”
Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias are both products of the Dodgers farm system. Kershaw got his first start with the team in 2008 and Urias later became his official teammate in 2016.
Over the past eight years, the two have led the Dodgers to six division titles and a 2020 World Series ring. But this Spring, the two will be leading their respective teams to a potential World Baseball Classic Championship.
Kershaw has three Cy Young awards under his belt as well as 14 years of experience in the major leagues including one WBC appearance. The 34-year-old pitcher posted a 2.28 ERA with a 12-3 record in 2022 while also earning his first All-Star start this year.
Meanwhile, Urias has gone under-appreciated for the past few seasons especially this year after being snubbed from an All-Star nod and Cy Young Award after posting an impressive 17-7 record with a career-best 2.16 ERA across 175 innings of work.
Although the starting pitchers for March 12th haven't been named yet, it would be exciting to see these two Dodgers hurlers face off for the first time ever.
