Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with a 2.55 ERA across 20 starts, credits his success to Clayton Kershaw's mentorship and learning from teammates like Mookie Betts. He recognized the importance of understanding his abilities and expectations. His admiration for Kershaw reflects in his desire to emulate the veteran's work ethic and approach. Yamamoto was surprised by Betts' intense training regimen, realizing that talent alone is insufficient for success. This insight and experience have shaped Yamamoto's performance and ambition to lead the Dodgers' pitching staff in the future.
"In him, you have a player on the team whom you can model yourself after. I also learn a lot watching him pitch. He's someone you can admire in every aspect. All of my teammates think of him like that too. That's the kind of player I would like to be."
"I didn't know what my ability was relative to everyone else's. I lacked a basic understanding of, 'If I do this, it will work, or if I do that, it won't.' So I wasn't thinking I'd be successful and I wasn't thinking I wouldn't be either. I really didn't know."
"More than that, when you get to the ballpark, for example, Mookie [Betts] will be finishing up hitting drenched in sweat. I was surprised by the amount of training, that players weren't just relying on their talent. It was a little shocking."
"Clayton Kershaw has been the Dodgers' ace for over a decade, but Yamamoto looks like he wants to take the reins of the franchise for years to come."
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