Clayton Kershaw’s professional baseball career has officially reached its end.
The longtime Dodgers ace was replaced on Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster by Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman ahead of Sunday’s semifinal game against the Dominican Republic.
Kershaw, who officially retired after the Dodgers’ World Series run in 2025, did not pitch in any of the Americans’ five WBC games, though he did pitch against the Rockies in a pre-tournament exhibition.
He did, however, warm up late in the shocking 8-6 loss to Italy earlier this week, but manager Mark DeRosa did not bring him into the game.
Kershaw was seen hanging out in the bullpen during Friday night’s quarterfinal win over Canada, even getting tossed a beer from outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
“I’m definitely glad I did it,” Kershaw told reporters Friday about joining the WBC squad, per MLB.com. “Being around this group is a fun way to end it, honestly. I got to know some of these guys that are kind of the faces of the game moving forward, and I got to meet them and watch them up close. It’s been a blessing.”
The three-time Cy Young Award winner said the atmosphere of being part of something on an international stage was special.
“You know, it’s a bucket-list thing for me,” Kershaw said before the tournament started. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while.”
Kershaw’s final appearance will go down as the one-out relief appearance he made during the Dodgers’ 18-inning win in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series.
