The final out of the 2023 World Baseball Classic was Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to give Team Japan the win.
Trout and Ohtani were then teammates on the Los Angeles Angels, and with Clayton Kershaw deciding to participate in the World Baseball Classic this time, there is a scenario where he could pitch against Ohtani, who was his former Dodgers teammate.
Kershaw was asked about possibly pitching against Ohtani, and the longtime Dodgers star had a blunt reaction.
“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against Team Japan in the finals or something. I think we’ve got plenty of guys to get that guy out. Not me,” Kershaw said, via Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.
Kershaw’s Team USA decision was revealed on Thursday despite him retiring from MLB after the 2025 season came to an end.
The longtime Dodgers pitcher said when Team USA manager Mark DeRosa first called, he thought it was to join as a coach. But, it wasn’t, and Kershaw said that he “didn’t have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again” before deciding to join the bullpen.
Kershaw does have a point with Team USA sporting a loaded bullpen that includes Mason Miller, David Bednar, Clay Holmes and Griffin Jax.
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ohtani and Team Japan defeated Team USA 3-2 in the championship, and there is a chance those two teams face off again in this year’s title game on March 17 at loanDepot park in Miami, Fla.
