Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Compares Shohei Ohtani to Taylor Swift, The Beatles

The Los Angeles Dodgers have touched down in Tokyo for their season opener against the Chicago Cubs.

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Prior to the Dodgers' trip to Japan, players were asked what they expected the scene to be like upon their arrival. Naturally, players' responses always went back to global superstar, Shohei Ohtani.

“I think we all assume how much of a figure Shohei is,” pitcher Clayton Kershaw said, via The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. “People say he’s like The Beatles. People say he’s like Taylor Swift.”

Kershaw won't be competing in the Tokyo Series, but the veteran was able to join his teammates for the trip overseas.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow also shared he expected chaos, ultimately for Ohtani.

“Shohei Ohtani is like Justin Bieber times 10 over there,” Glasnow said. “So it’s probably going to be insane. There were a lot of people last year (in Seoul). There was a lot of people going through the hotel and every day kind of walking around. So I’m expecting it to probably be crazy.”

The excitement around the Tokyo Series falls perfectly in line with the organization's goal of building baseball on a global scale. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has discussed his hope of inspiring young Japanese players to join the Dodgers in years to come.

“Our hope is that (an) 8-, 9- or 10-year-old kid who is the next Shohei or Roki or Yamamoto is wearing a Dodgers hat, and (thinking), ‘I want to be a Dodger,” Friedman shared.

Earlier this offseason, team president Stan Kasten discussed why the defending champions' aggressive pursuits this winter were good for the game.

“On the entertainment side, which is what we are, it’s really good when there is one team beloved by their fans, who come out in record numbers, leading all of baseball in attendance, while that same team can be hated and lead baseball in road attendance. That’s a win-win for baseball," Kasten said.

“And this is also really contributing to the enhanced globalization of central baseball around the world. So it’s a win-win-win. This is really good for baseball. I have no question about it.”

The Dodgers' visit to Japan is a monumental step in growing the game of baseball, a goal that Ohtani shares with the team he plays for.

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