Recently, Clayton Kershaw surprised the baseball world when it was announced that he would pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in March. The news comes months after what was thought to be Kershaw's baseball curtain call with the Los Angeles Dodgers when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in seven thrilling games to win their second straight World Series championship in November.
Now, Kershaw is getting 100% real on what he believes his role will be for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.
“I just wanna be the insurance policy,” Kershaw told MLB Network, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. “If anybody needs a breather or they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don't need me to pitch at all, I'm just there to be there. I just wanna be a part of this group.”
Kershaw also spoke on how the roster of players and coaches factored into his decision to join the team.
“I learned a long time ago, you just wanna be part of great things. This team seems like a really fun, awesome group. All these coaches I've played with are good teammates, good friends of mine, so it'll be really fun,” he said.
Kershaw's career ended on a high note, with the Dodgers winning the World Series championship in November, their second in a row. It wasn't a flawless playoff run for the future Hall of Famer, who had a bit of a meltdown in Game 3 of the Dodgers' NLDS series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
However, he will get another chance to take the mound for Team USA in March in what is turning into an internationally renowned baseball event every year. It remains to be seen how big a role Kershaw will play for his country, but he sure seems to be excited for the chance to get back out on the mound.
