Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell has long expressed his admiration for veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw, and spoke about what he has learned from the future Hall of Famer over the course of the 2025 season.
“Yeah. And like, it’s funny, because like everyone says, Well, how are those talks? How do you get there?” Snell said. “But it’s just conversation, it’s just questions. You just ask questions, and we’ll just have a normal conversation. But I’ll ask questions and I’m like, Well, why did you do this, or, why were you thinking that way, or, like what do you think’s the best part of your game. And then you ask that question and he replies.
“And then it’s like, okay, well, how can you piece that to your game, and like what does that look like to you. Because ultimately you’re building the best version of you, so you have to figure that part out. But Kershaw, like the best thing that he does is he competes. Like he could have nothing and he’ll find a way to dominate because he’s just so competitive. Like how do you learn that? You know, you got to ask questions, but then you got to figure out, well, like, what part, how can you do that, and that’s the tough part.”
More news: Former Giants Pitcher Now With Blue Jays Wants to Beat Dodgers for 2021 Revenge
Snell spoke about being teammates with Kershaw ahead of the season, and was clearly excited to speak with the veteran to improve his own game.
“I can’t wait. I was telling Andrew (Friedman) I need my locker next to his,” Snell said during the offseason. “He’s just done so many amazing things in his career. So for me to talk to him, pick his brain, learn from all his experience, I’m really excited. To learn from a guy like that is, I mean, you can’t ask for more.”
Whatever Snell has been learning from Kershaw, it’s clearly been working for him this season. While he didn’t play the full season, Snell had a 2.35 ERA through 11 starts in the regular season, which is the third-lowest ERA he has posted in a single season throughout his career.
Snell has also had a solid postseason, posting a 2.42 ERA through his four starts.
More news: Dodgers Announce When Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow Will Pitch in World Series
The left-hander had an unfortunate outing in the opening game of the World Series, allowing five runs in as many innings, and will look to bounce back later in the series to help the Dodgers go back-to-back.
Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Have you downloaded the new Dodgers Nation app yet? Click here for Apple Users and here for Android Users to be a part of the redesigned app to give fans everything they need, all in one place. Don’t miss out on live GameCast with play-by-play, news and analysis, Dodgers Nation podcasts and videos, all the stats you want and more!
LA Baseball Report
Get the app for faster news
GET ×