Los Angeles, CA – February 03: Dodger Shohei Ohtani talks with media at DodgerFest 2024, the official kickoff celebration for the upcoming season of Dodger baseball at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had their fair share of legendary players throughout franchise history.
Dating back to the franchise’s origins in Brooklyn, the team has hosted famed players like Jackie Robinson, Casey Stengel and Sandy Koufax. And there are some legendary contemporary Dodgers members as well, with stars like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani all likely headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame whenever they end their careers.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw Will Return To Mound After Retirement Announcement
The latest farewell for a Dodgers legend occurred this past season, when three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw announced he would be retiring at the end of the year. But in a surprising announcement on Thursday, Kershaw revealed that he would be taking the mound once again shortly after his final season with the Dodgers’ ended with a World Series championship.
“Clayton Kershaw might not have thrown his last pitch after all. Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Kershaw has committed to pitch for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, the international tournament that will serve as a final send-off for an eventual Hall of Fame career,” Alden Gonzalez reported for ESPN. “Kershaw, who will be 38 in March, previously announced that he would retire at the end of the 2025 season, which ended in a second straight championship for his Los Angeles Dodgers.”
Team USA has secured commitments from several younger star starting pitchers, including Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal and Joe Ryan. So Kershaw is unlikely to be relied on heavily and will most likely appear as a depth option out of the bullpen.
But still, it’s possible that he could find himself facing off against his star Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani, who will be playing for Team Japan in the tournament.
When asked about that possibility, though, Kershaw quickly dismissed it and said that he thinks his role with the team won’t be important enough to ever see a matchup against the Japanese superstar slugger.
“Not me,” Kershaw said of potentially facing Ohtani in the World Baseball Classic, according to The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett.
Los Angeles Dodgers Icon Clayton Kershaw Gets Honest About His Role On Team USA
Kershaw previously attempted to represent the U.S. in the tournament in 2023, but he was unable to find an insurer for his contract in case of an injury. Now, with his Major League Baseball career over, he won’t have to worry about straining himself ahead of next season.
And it seems he’s not really worried about facing any high leverage situations on the mound either.
“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against Team Japan in the finals or something,” Kershaw added, per Plunkett. “I think we’ve got plenty of guys to get that guy (Ohtani) out.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2026/01/15/dodgers-legend-sends-2-word-shohei-ohtani-message-after-surprise-announcement/
