Clayton Kershaw might not have been able to play in the Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs this week, but he was still determined to take the trip to Japan with the team.
Kershaw, who underwent foot and knee surgeries in November, is expected to return to play around June, per ESPN. Though he wasn’t able to play in the Tokyo Series on Tuesday and Wednesday, he jokes that he “mooched” off the Dodgers to take part in the trip to Japan.
“I kinda just mooched off the Dodgers to get a trip outta this because I’m not playing or anything,” Kershaw told Sports Central LA. “I wanted to experience this. I wanted to come with Shohei and see what it was all about. It’s been an incredible experience. Obviously the baseball part of it has been so much fun, but having my whole family here, getting to tour around Tokyo, it’s been once in a lifetime.”
“I kinda just mooched of the Dodgers to get a trip outta this!”@ClaytonKersh22 may not be playing in the #TokyoSeries but he’s taking in the sites, eating sushi & reeling from the #Mavs trading Luka to the Lakers@DarrenMHaynes @kcalnews pic.twitter.com/jT4adTcEaj
https://twitter.com/SportsCentralLA/status/1902186233746300967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1902186233746300967%7Ctwgr%5Ef2bc72c3dc4fc4225c38fc29b5f1d4f5cdac4fcc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fmlb%2Fclayton-kershaw-jokes-he-mooched-dodgers-for-a-trip-to-japan
Thanks to the trip, Kershaw was additionally able to visit Kyoto, Japan with his family, and able to take part in the special dinner planned by Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. That was certainly not the case for every player that was unable to take part in the Tokyo Series. Dustin May, the fifth starter on the Dodgers’ current rotation, stayed back at Camelback Ranch in Arizona to continue his throwing program ahead of the season since he was not slated to start an exhibition or regular season game in Japan.
Even so, Kershaw has done more than enough for the Dodgers to earn a spot on the trip to Japan. Kershaw is the team’s longest-tenured player, a 10-time All-Star, and two-time World Series champion. He’s one of the greatest Dodgers ever, and a longtime loyal star for the team. He more than deserved his place on the special trip to Tokyo.
