Clayton Kershaw. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw looks to cap off his career by playing for Team USA

By Zachary Cariola | Last updated Jan 15, 2026 11:35 AM ET

Coming off his second World Series in back-to-back seasons and third overall (2020), future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw put together a career that solidified him as one of the best pitchers ever.

Though his career in Major League Baseball has come to a close after 18 seasons, which included three Cy Young Awards, the 2014 National League MVP Award, winning the Pitching Triple Crown and being an 11-time All-Star, Kershaw will look to cap things off by joining Team USA and winning the World Baseball Classic.

According to MLB, Kershaw joins a star-studded roster and rotation, which includes the reigning Cy Young Award winners in the American and National Leagues, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, respectively. Among these three alone, Team USA’s pitching staff has six Cy Young Awards, 15 All-Star appearances, eight ERA titles and two Pitching Triple Crowns.

Kershaw becomes the seventh starting pitcher on Team USA’s roster and just its third left-hander (Gabe Speier), joining right-handers Logan Webb, Joe Ryan, Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes as potential starters.

His story isn’t finished yet …

Clayton Kershaw will pitch for Team USA in the #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/dd80dK3zln
— MLB (@MLB) January 15, 2026

Team USA adds more experience to its roster with Clayton Kershaw

Team USA has a lot of depth in its starting rotation, and Kershaw, with all his knowledge and experience, could become a vital source of information. He can act as a second pitching coach to help guide some of the younger members of the staff, like McLean, to success.

Whether Kershaw will start or not will be manager Mark DeRosa’s decision, and he could opt to use his veteran lefty in relief, which is what Kershaw did down the stretch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. With former teammate and three-time consecutive MVP Award winner (two back-to-back with the Dodgers) Shohei Ohtani playing for Team Japan in this year's World Baseball Classic, Kershaw could get the call to get him out if the two teams meet in the final round or before.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my family and learning history.

More must-reads: