Three-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw (37, Los Angeles Dodgers) enjoyed a pleasant time in Japan with his family.

The Dodgers posted a video on the 18th (Korean time) through the club's official social media featuring the Kershaw family's trip to Japan. Kershaw, who underwent surgery on his left knee and left big toe last November and is currently rehabilitating, is on the 60-day injured list but visited Japan with the team at his own expense, despite not being included in the MLB World Tour Tokyo Series roster.

The video uploaded by the Dodgers begins with Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, along with their four children, at Tokyo Station platform heading to Kyoto. They took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, a two-hour trip, immersing themselves in Japanese culture.

Kershaw said, "We’re trying to take the bullet train to Kyoto. Everyone is excited. It seems like it will be fun," and expressed surprise at the speed of Japan's Shinkansen, saying, "Wow, look how fast we’re going!"

The video shows the Kershaw family arriving in Kyoto, having a great time strolling through traditional houses and streets. Riding a rickshaw through a bamboo forest, the Kershaw family concluded the 43-second video by shouting, "We love Kyoto!"

Earlier, on the 16th, videos and photos were also released showing Kershaw, his children, and Dodgers players watching and learning about the traditional Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. Kershaw drew attention in Japan by directly competing with a sumo wrestler.

It looks different from this time last year. After the 2023 season, Kershaw, who underwent surgery to repair ligaments and joint capsules in his left shoulder, stayed in the U.S. to focus on rehabilitation and did not accompany the MLB World Tour Seoul Series.

This year was similar, but Kershaw made a different choice. Visiting Japan with his family at his own expense, Kershaw expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I will focus on rehabilitation while I'm there, but I'm really looking forward to going to Japan with my family. I've never been to Japan in my life, nor have I visited with three Japanese superstars (Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki). I plan to stick close to them like a fly on the wall and enjoy everything."

Meanwhile, since debuting with the Dodgers in 2008, Kershaw has accumulated a record of 432 games (429 starts, 2,742⅔ innings), 212 wins, 94 losses, a 2.50 earned run average, and 2,968 strikeouts over 17 seasons. With three Cy Young Awards, one MVP award, ten All-Star selections, five ERA titles, and three wins and strikeouts titles, his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame is very likely even if he retires immediately.

In the past five years, he has struggled with various injuries and has not surpassed the innings requirement, with noticeable drops in velocity. However, when healthy, he still pitches at a high level. Last year, after returning from a shoulder injury, he struggled with a record of 2 wins, 2 losses, a 4.50 earned run average, and 24 strikeouts over seven games (30 innings), but Kershaw chose to extend his career by re-signing with the Dodgers for $7.5 million guaranteed. He is just 32 strikeouts away from reaching the milestone of 3,000 strikeouts.

[OSEN = Reporter Lee Sang-hak]