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Jesse RogersMar 4, 2026, 07:34 PM ET<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.<\/p>\n Multiple Authors<\/p>\n SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — He allowed a home run, a walk and threw a wild pitch but none of that took away from Clayton Kershaw<\/a>‘s first experience pitching for Team USA.<\/p>\n Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> pitching legend who retired after last season, is on the World Baseball Classic roster as a “break glass in case of emergency” player. He’ll be called upon only if there is a blowout, so there is no guarantee he’ll see game action in the tournament.<\/p>\n That means Wednesday’s exhibition against the Colorado Rockies<\/a> could have been his only time on the mound wearing a Team USA jersey.<\/p>\n “Just being on this team was a bucket list thing for me from the beginning,” Kershaw said after Team USA’s 14-4 win. “Obviously, I thought I was never going to throw a baseball again. So to get to do it with Team USA across your chest and come back to that dugout, that team is really special.”<\/p>\n Kershaw gave up a long home run to Rockies center fielder Mickey Moniak<\/a> in the fourth inning, but the pro-Rockies crowd cheered louder for the pitcher than the hitter that inning.<\/p>\n Despite years of haunting the Rockies, fans recognized what Kershaw has meant to the game, rising to their feet after he was pulled with two outs.<\/p>\n “I had chills out there for the little standing ovation he got,” Team USA captain Aaron Judge<\/a> said. “The crowd went crazy for him pitching.”<\/p>\n Kershaw admitted “it wasn’t going to be fun” to pick up a baseball again but couldn’t pass up the opportunity when manager Mark DeRosa called.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n His teammates might be as excited as he is.<\/p>\n “I never knew he never got to play in the WBC,” Kyle Schwarber<\/a> said. “I’m so excited for him. To be able to pick his brain — a first-ballot Hall of Famer — you get to hear him talk, that’s awesome.”<\/p>\n“If that was the last time on the mound, it was worth it for sure,” Clayton Kershaw said. “I felt fine. Arm feels good, body’s fine. I mean, it’s not good anymore, but it’s good enough for me not to embarrass myself.”\u00a0Ross D. Franklin\/AP<\/p>\n