Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw is already retired from playing in MLB, but he's still going to be playing competitive baseball, as he's part of the Team USA roster for the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic.
On Wednesday, the future Baseball Hall of Famer made his debut for Team USA. It did not start very well for him, as he gave up a home run in the fourth inning to the first batter he faced in the contest, with Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak taking him deep for a 414-foot blast. That home run cut the Rockies' deficit down to a run, 3-2.
Clayton Kershaw gives up a home run to Mickey Moniak, the first batter he faces, to cut USA's lead to 3-2 pic.twitter.com/4tlZ9TMBIQ
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 4, 2026
The good news for Kershaw is that this game doesn't really mean much beyond being just an exhibition game.
Overall, he gave up two earned runs on a hit with a walk issued in just 2/3 innings of work on the mound versus the Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Team USA is also crushing the Rockies at the time of this writing, as they are up 12-4 in the top of the eighth inning. It's just the kind of domination one would expect from such a stacked roster consisted of many of the best players in the big league today, and while the same can't be said about Kershaw, he should still turn heads whenever he toes the rubber.
Before the Rockies game, Team USA pummeled the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition game on Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, to the tune of a 15-1 score.
This date with the Rockies is the last game Team USA plays before the start of their 2026 WBC campaign on Friday, when they face Team Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston.
