So much so, that Kershaw had to make a bold Taylor Swift statement to describe Ohtani's level of fame in his home country. “I think we all assume how much of a figure Shohei is,” Kershaw said ahead of the Dodgers' Japan trip, via The Orange County Register. “People say he’s like The Beatles. People say he’s like Taylor Swift.”

It's the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome to start the Major League Baseball season.