Dodgers' Tarik Skubal Wants to Be Like Clayton Kershaw

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to complete the rare three-peat this season, and they currently have by far best odds of any team to win the World Series

Adding ace Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline only increased the chances for Los Angeles, giving the team another dominant arm for the stacked rotation. Skubal is viewed as one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he has worked hard over the years to get to this point.

Now with the Dodgers, Skubal wants to continue the legacy of strong left-handers. The new ace of the Dodgers is looking to be like legend Clayton Kershaw, who spent his entire career in Los Angeles.

“He’s the best left-hander ever, right?” Skubal said. “Obviously, that was a great opportunity for me to pick [his] brain [at this year's World Baseball Classic] and talk about what made him tick, what made him so good, his process, all that kind of stuff. I want to accomplish all the same things he’s been able to accomplish.

"I’ll probably keep most of what we talked about between me and him, but as far as the questions that I asked, they were very much [about] how to be great, how to be like him.”

Skubal and Kershaw are cut from the same cloth, with each player wanting to do whatever they can to help the team win games.

The two pitchers played together briefly on Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, giving Skubal a chance to pick Kershaw's brain.

“I think what I admire about all the really good players in this game is that longevity and consistency, year in and year out, of who he was even towards the end of his career,” Skubal said. “He was incredible from start to finish. That consistency is pretty impressive to watch. That’s what I admire.”

Skubal's tenure with the Dodgers is still very young, with him only making four starts so far. But if the Dodgers have it their way, the left-hander will be around for a long time.

In his starts with Los Angeles, Skubal has posted a 3.38 ERA, striking out 30 batters over 23 innings. While his performance hasn't been up to his standards, Skubal is still getting his footing with his new team.

Skubal will be a free agent at the end of the season, with him expected to command a contract worth more than $300 million. Reports have said that the left-hander's preference is to stay with Los Angeles, but there will be other suitors.

For now, Skubal will be focusing on helping the Dodgers try to clinch another World Series title. And if he can, he will be forever immortalized in the city of Los Angeles, which would bring him one step closer to emulating Kershaw.

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