Clayton Kershaw Misunderstood Initial Pitch to Join Team USA for World Baseball Classic

Oct 25, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts during warm ups before game two of the 2025 MLB World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

All 20 team rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic are set to be officially unveiled Thursday afternoon on MLB Network.

At that point the Los Angeles Dodgers will further be confirmed to have five participants in this year's international tournament: Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Team Japan), Hyeseong Kim (South Korea), Edwin Díaz (Puerto Rico) and Will Smith (United States).

Although no longer part of the Dodgers organization due to retiring, longtime ace Clayton Kershaw also is going to be on Team USA for the WBC. It's a final achievement for what's expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.

During an appearance on "Hot Stove" with Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reyonlds, Kershaw revealed he initially believed Team USA manager Mark DeRosa simply wanted him around in some sort of coaching or advisory role.

"DeRo called me, and I missed his call. He said, 'Call me back about the WBC.'

"I thought he wanted me to, like, coach. So I was like, 'Oh, yeah. I'd love to go coach or just help out or do whatever.'

"And then he mentioned playing again. I'm going to be honest. I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again."

Kershaw went on to mention he still wasn't certain of the viability to pitch in the WBC, but became encouraged after starting to play catch in early January. And given that he does not have a regular season to prepare for, Kershaw has expressed a willingness to pitch in any capacity for Team USA.

He'd previously hoped to be part of the World Baseball Classic in 2023, but failed to get approved for insurance coverage because of his injury history. That no longer is an issue for Kershaw due to his retiring after the 2025 season.

Insurance remains a prevalent theme for the 2026 WBC, including a new provision preventing Miguel Rojas from participating.

Insurance for pitchers is also believed to be the driving factor behind Ohtani deciding to only be a designated hitter for Samurai Japan this year despite pitching in the 2023 WBC.

Clayton Kershaw pitching against Shohei Ohtani?

A subplot to both Kershaw and Ohtani being part of the WBC is the potential for a matchup if Team USA and Team Japan meet in the championship game. Though, that's a scenario the left-hander is not anticipating becoming a reality at his current state.

Ohtani went a career 0-for-11 with four strikeouts against Kershaw. The last time they met during the regular season came in 2023, which was Ohtani's final year with the Los Angeles Angels.

Not included in the aforementioned 11 at-bats was when Ohtani led off for the American League in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game that was held at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw made his first career All-Star Game start and gave up a broken-bat single on his first pitch, only to immediately pick off Ohtani from first base.