{"id":522338,"date":"2026-01-15T21:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/522338\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T21:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:54:15","slug":"mason-miller-admits-to-being-surprised-by-clayton-kershaws-wbc-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/522338\/","title":{"rendered":"Mason Miller admits to being ‘surprised’ by Clayton Kershaw’s WBC move"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, the baseball world was thrown for a loop when Clayton Kershaw<\/a> said he would pitch in the World Baseball Classic<\/a>. This comes after he announced his retirement after 17 years<\/a> with the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>. One of those who was surprised was Mason Miller<\/a> of the San Diego Padres<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said as much<\/a> during a recent appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat just adds to the further allure of the WBC,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Even Mason Miller was shocked to see Clayton Kershaw commit to Team USA. \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

“That just adds to the further allure of the WBC.” pic.twitter.com\/RfHENKfbrM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

To Miller’s point, the World Baseball Classic will undoubtedly be star-studded<\/a>, particularly on Team USA. The roster is compiled of Aaron Judge, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Kershaw, and Miller himself.<\/p>\n

This past season, Miller pitched in 22 games with the Padres. Altogether, he compiled an ERA of 0.77 and two saves. Additionally, Miller spoke with Foul Territory about his prospects of\u00a0becoming a starter this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The World Baseball Classic is scheduled from March 5 to 17. Japan is the defending champion from the 2023 tournament. The United States won the WBC in 2017 after defeating Puerto Rico 8-0 in the championship game.<\/p>\n

The Padres finished the season at 90-72 before losing to the Chicago Cubs<\/a> in the NL Wild Card series. Meanwhile, the Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series<\/a> in seven games over the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

Kershaw has compiled 3,052 strikeouts throughout his career. He is also a three-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time World Series champion.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Miller made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics. The following year, he was selected to the NL All-Star team. He has a career ERA of 2.81 with 246 strikeouts and 50 saves.<\/p>\n