Yamamoto's two historic games show his drive to one day surpass Kershaw

Who would have guessed? Who would have guessed that in a starting rotation of giants and alphas, the most important pitcher would be the diminutive 27-year old with the mischievous smile who plays the role of everyone's little brother?

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ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO hugs catcher Will Smith after pitching a complete Game 2 Saturday.

From a distance, Yoshinobu Yamamoto doesn't look like someone who figures to contend in the coming years to be the best pitcher in the world.

He stands only 5-foot-10. He's not mean in the way front-line starters sometimes are.

He's extremely considerate of others, even people who offer minimal, if any, transactional value or more precisely, his focus and confidence in his work don't blind him to their sensitivities.

Beneath the mask of normality, however, there is something in Yamamoto capable of fueling the kind of complete-game performance he delivered in the Dodgers' 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the World Series.

Yamamoto wants to be great. Or perhaps he has to be.

Look, and you will see it. Listen, and you will hear it.

Yamamoto has often shared his admiration of Clayton Kershaw, but it's clear he doesn't see him as just a mentor.

He sees him as a benchmark by which he should measure himself.

When Kershaw announced his retirement last month, Yamamoto spoke of how grateful he was to play alongside him for two years.

He talked about how much he learned from him.