LOS ANGELES — In just 37 days, the world of baseball will once more be immersed in the sights and sounds of this year’s World Baseball Classic. Rosters are beginning to be set in stone, and most notably, five Dodgers will represent their respective countries 

Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are just two of the record eight MLB players confirmed to play for Team Japan. 

Along with Ohtani and Yamamoto, Yuki Matsui (San Diego Padres), Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels), Tomoyuki Sugano (Baltimore Orioles), Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays), Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox), and Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs) will join them to defend Japan’s 2023 WBC title. 

Infielder Hyeseong Kim will be the lone Dodger to represent Team Korea in the WBC, as he confirmed his participation for his home country earlier this month. 

Team USA looks to retake WBC glory in 2026, making the rounds to convince the league’s biggest stars to join the red, white and blue.

In the flurry of talent madness sprinkled in every facet of manager Mark DeRosa’s roster, two Dodgers, Will Smith and Clayton Kershaw, will streak USA across their chest. 

Smith will be a returning member for Team USA, previously participating for the first time in 2023 when the US lost to Japan in the championship game. 

Following the loss, Smith expressed interest in returning to play for the US in 2026 and will be alongside 2025 home run leader Cal Raleigh in the backstop. 

A surprising name that graces Team USA’s roster is future first-ballot Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. 

Kershaw announced that he would be retiring from the game of baseball on September 18, and capped off his illustrious career by winning his third World Series title in the Dodgers pursuit of back-to-back Fall Classic wins. 

The 37-year-old southpaw was inked to participate for Team USA back in 2023, but insurance issues held Kershaw’s dreams on check for the time being. 

Now newly retired, Kershaw sets his sights on joining a stacked USA rotation that includes Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal in hopes of adding a 2026 WBC gold medal to an already impressive resume.Â