Shohei Ohtani stays humble with 3-word take on continued success vs Angels star he shared high school with

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani kicked off his Spring Training with a home run in his first at-bat against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. The 30-year-old reigning NL MVP blasted a moonshot to left field off Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead in the game.

Shohei Ohtani's home run blast against Kikuchi continued his fine record against his Japanese compatriot. After the game, when Ohtani was asked how he managed to keep such a good record against his high school friend, he remained humble with his answer:

"Just I'm lucky."

Before making the move to the MLB, Ohtani and Kikuchi went to the Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, a province in Japan's northeast. After high school, both players rose through the ranks in the NPB before eventually moving to the MLB.

While Ohtani joined the Angels in 2018, Kikuchi signed with the Seattle Mariners a year later. He then went on to have a spell with the Toronto Blue Jays before joining the Houston Astros last year. After entering free agency this offseason, Kikuchi signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Angels.

Ohtani's first outing in Spring Training gave the Dodgers plenty of positive takeaways. Having undergone shoulder surgery, the two-way star seems to have recovered well as he looks comfortable both while hitting and pitching. However, it remains to be seen when he will resume his pitching duties this year.

Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto name their baseball besties

Los Angeles Dodgers are well underway with their Spring Training this year, and their Japanese stars have hit the ground running. In a recent interview with MLB Network, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were asked who their best friend in baseball was and they both had a similar reply.

After a moment's thought, Yamamoto replied:

"Shohei Ohtani."

Ohtani, on the other hand, said:

"Yoshinobu? I don't know. Maybe Roki too."

As the Dodgers continue to have a huge influence on young Japanese stars, they have clearly bonded together and fit in well in the clubhouse. As Roki Sasaki gears up for his debut season in the MLB, he will be hoping to follow Ohtani and Yamamoto's footsteps.