Clayton Kershaw officially entered retirement on Saturday when it emerged that he will not be staying with Team USA for the World Baseball Classic semifinals.Â
The former Los Angeles Dodgers star had been part of the American team at the tournament but was removed from the roster and replaced by reliever Jeff Hoffman.
The US made the move after its win over Canada on Friday night in advance of its semifinal matchup with the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
The 37-year-old pitcher had announced his retirement from the sport at the end of last year after playing 18 seasons in MLB.Â
However, he made a surprise U-turn on the decision, coming out of retirement to play at the World Baseball Classic.Â
Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, did not play in any of the USA’s five games at the tournament, including their Pool B matchups and Friday night’s rivalry clash against Canada.
Clayton Kershaw was removed from Team USA’s roster for the World Baseball Classic
The former Dodgers star had been part of the team but did not play in any of their games
The left-hander will remain with the team through the tournament despite being removed from the roster.
He has been replaced by Hoffman, 33, who spent last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he went 9-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 71 games.
Kershaw announced in September that the 2025 season would be his last, ultimately finishing his baseball career with a World Series win with the Dodgers – their second consecutive title.
Kershaw was drafted by the Dodgers in 2006 and has played with the team ever since – winning three World Series titles in Los Angeles, the first coming in 2020.
Over the course of 18 seasons, Kershaw won three NL Cy Young Awards, the 2014 NL MVP Award, and had the best ERA in the National League five times.
He was also an 11-time All-Star selection and is one of the rare pitchers to take baseball’s Triple Crown (leading in wins, strikeouts, and ERA) – having done so in 2011.
Kershaw’s crowning moment came in 2020 – when he won four games in the postseason, including Game 1 and Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.Â
The left-hander announced that he would be retiring from baseball after the 2025 season
Kershaw is pictured with his wife Ellen and four of their five children in July 2022
The Dodgers would go on to win that title in the midst of the pandemic, claiming their first title since 1988.
While he was part of the team during their 2024 title run, Kershaw was injured and did not appear in the postseason.
Renowned for his 12-6 curveball, the lefty has the highest WAR (wins above replacement) in the history of the Dodgers franchise.
Kershaw also leads the franchise in strikeouts, has the sixth-best ERA, the second-most wins, and started the third-most games in Dodgers history.
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Dodgers legend’s baseball career comes to an end as he is axed from USA’s World Baseball Classic roster