Shohei Ohtani's teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes feelings known about 3x Cy Young winner's impact on Japanese ace

Clayton Kershaw is a generational talent. Even though the former 3x Cy Young winner has had a bumpy ride with injuries in the last few seasons, his influence over his teammates is immense. It holds true for his Japanese colleague Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who opened up about him.

Yamamoto got the nod as the LA Dodgers' Opening Day starter for their Tokyo Series Game 1 against the Chicago Cubs. In just his second season in the MLB, he will need all the advice he can to soak in the pressure in front of the crowd.

Yamamoto is seeking all the help he can from Kershaw, who is 10x All-Star and has been the focal point of LA's rotation for more than a decade. Los Angeles Times insider Dylan Hernandez quoted Yamamoto learning not only about pitching but also about how to conduct himself as a person.

"Baseball-wise, of course, but also his humanity, I admire him very much in every way. He's an example. Just being in the same space as him, I feel as if I'll become better at baseball," Hernandez tweeted on Saturday.

During their opening exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the two pitchers warmed up together.

Kershaw has not yet been named one of the confirmed starters for the Dodgers. His injury curtailed the 2024 season and saw him pitching only seven times with a 2-2, 4.50 ERA record. He was still signed by LA to a one-year $7.5 million contract for his eighteenth consecutive season with the team in the big leagues.

Clayton Kershaw taking his family along to Tokyo

When the LA Dodgers traveled to Seoul last year to face the San Diego Padres in the season opener at Gocheok Dome, Clayton Kershaw was in rehab and couldn't participate. He is once again in rehab, recovering from left knee and left toe surgeries he underwent in November. However, even though he was left off the Dodgers' roster, he chose to travel to Japan at his own expense, taking his family along.

"The family's going to go," Kershaw said on Tuesday, via MLB.com. "I'm excited. Obviously, I'll be able to get my work in with the team and rehab. But once in a lifetime, I've never been to Japan, never gone with the three Japanese superstars that we have. I'm excited to just kind of be a fly on the wall and take it all in."

Kershaw is expected to be back in action in June. Barring any setbacks, the Dodgers could have a six-man rotation with Shohei Ohtani also expected to join Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.