MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies - Source: ImagnMLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies (Credits: IMAGN)

Clayton Kershaw is not on the Opening Day roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he was still able to travel with the team to Tokyo, Japan. The Dodgers are playing in the MLB Tokyo Series 2025, a chance for Major League Baseball to grow the game globally.

Kershaw is one of the leaders for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but in Tokyo, it was the Dodgers’ Japanese stars who took care of the team. During the top of the third inning in the series opener on Tuesday, Kershaw was asked about the feast that Shohei Ohtani and others prepared for the team.

“Did you see what Shohei brought to the dinner, and Yama and Roki the tuna thing? That got on social media somewhere right tho? That was amazing,” Clayton Kershaw said..

“As far as like coming together, team dinners are great, but that was probably the coolest dinner I’ve ever been apart of, period. Watching these guys butcher a tuna right in front of us. It was amazing.”

The team dinner was held on local Sunday in Tokyo, before the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs officially kicked off the 2025 MLB season.

Clayton Kershaw raves about unselfishness of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and other teammates

Clayton Kershaw is nearing the end of his career, and there are other veterans on the Dodgers that have taken on more of a leadership role. During an episode of the “Foul Territory” podcast on Mar. 11, Kershaw discussed how teammates Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts lead by being unselfish.

“I don’t know about all that, but just the guys in our clubhouse, it’s just an amazing thing to see. The buy-in, I think, is probably the biggest thing. You know, I think there’s a lot of superstar guys out there, but those three that you mentioned—Mookie, Shohei, Freddie—are very… I mean, you saw it last year, just the unselfishness. Obviously, they want to be in the Hall of Fame, they’re All-Stars, and they want to do all that,” Kershaw said. [1:47]

“I don’t know about all that, but just the guys in our clubhouse, it’s just an amazing thing to see. The buy-in, I think, is probably the biggest thing. You know, I think there’s a lot of superstar guys out there, but those three that you mentioned—Mookie, Shohei, Freddie—are very… I mean, you saw it last year, just the unselfishness. Obviously, they want to be in the Hall of Fame, they’re All-Stars, and they want to do all that.

The Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, and are favorites to get the job done again during the 2025 season. Clayton Kershaw believes his teammates are a driving force behind their success.