Clayton Kershaw joins Team USA roster for 2023 World Baseball Classic

An ace pitcher was all that Team USA’s stacked 2023 World Baseball Classic roster seemed to be missing.

That is no longer the case.

Team USA’s announced Monday that three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw will join its 2023 roster. Kershaw, inarguably one of the best pitchers of his era and perhaps the best hurler in Los Angeles Dodgers history, will be pitching in his first WBC tournament.

His 2022 campaign marked a return to dominance, as he went 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA and started his first All-Star Game. Injuries, however, limited Kershaw to 22 starts for the second consecutive year and just 126.1 innings.

The superstar southpaw joins a loaded group of players set to represent Team USA, which seeks its second consecutive World Baseball Classic title. Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is serving as Team USA captain and several other MLB All-Stars have also committed to play.

That list includes Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kershaw’s Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Will Smith, as well as former Dodger Trea Turner, who signed an 11-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in December.

Turner’s new Phillies teammates J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber are also on the roster. Phillies superstar outfielder Bryce Harper had initially committed to do so, as well, but he’ll be sidelined after undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

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Team USA will be managed in the 2023 tournament by 2009 WBC player Mark DeRosa. His coaching staff includes of Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as hitting coach and five-time World Series champion Andy Pettitte as pitching coach.

International superstars planning to compete include the Angels‘ Shohei Ohtani (Japan) and the Toronto Blue Jays‘ Vladimir Gurrero Jr. (Dominican Republic).

The 2023 World Baseball Classic runs from March 7-21, with the semifinals and final to be played at LoanDepot Park in Miami. All 47 games can be seen in the U.S. exclusively on the FOX family of networks and the FOX Sports App.

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