Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had an emotional farewell tour last year after announcing in September that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2025 MLB season. He got one more legendary moment, was able to pay tribute to Dodgers fans one more time and walked away from MLB a World Series champion.

But apparently Kershaw’s retirement from baseball applied only to MLB, not to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. To the surprise of many, the 37-year-old Kershaw was added to Team USA’s roster on Thursday and will pitch for the team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Kershaw made sure to stress that he is not coming back to MLB this season, telling Andy McCullough of The Athletic that he’s doing just enough to make it through the tournament.

“I am throwing just enough to make it for 10 days,” he said. “I’m not pitching this season — so I figured this is the perfect time to try the WBC. I really want to be a part of it.”

When asked why he decided to pitch in professional baseball one more time, Kershaw replied, “Why not?”

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Since early in the offseason, Team USA’s roster has started to take shape. It became clear almost immediately that the U.S. is hungry to win the event, as Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge quickly committed to the tournament. Over the following weeks, they were joined by other MLB stars such as Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr., among many others.

While Kershaw is far removed from his peak, he’s still a big name within the sport. He is arguably the best pitcher of his era and a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer. Even with his reduced velocity and workload over his last few seasons in MLB, Kershaw managed a 3.36 ERA in his final year in the majors, a testament to both his stuff and his intelligence as a pitcher.

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Team USA will have to hope those same skills are on display in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Kershaw proved at the end of last season that he could provide value out of the Dodgers’ bullpen. It sounds like he’ll be used in the same role on Team USA, per The Athletic.

Despite his late-season success, Kershaw made sure to set his WBC expectations low, saying he doesn’t expect to be used in high-leverage situations in the tournament, per The Athletic.

“I am not going to pitch to Shohei in any meaningful game,” Kershaw said. “I’ll tell you that right now. He would hit it so far off me right now.”

Regardless of how it turns out, Kershaw’s addition to the team adds a bit more excitement to the tournament before it starts in March. The Dodgers’ legend already had the perfect ending to his MLB career, going out with a championship.

He now stands to further his already impeccable legacy by also leaving the game of baseball with a gold medal in his final professional appearance.