Darvish says rivalry with Ohtani’s Dodgers is growing

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish said Monday he hopes his team can perform better than Shohei Ohtani’s retooled Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming season.

The two National League West teams will open the season with a two-game series from March 20 in Seoul, where Ohtani may make his Dodgers debut amid the hype around South Korean national hero Kim Ha Seong who plays in the Padres infield.

“Things are getting even more exciting with the Dodgers’ signing of Ohtani and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto,” Darvish said at the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona. “We want to outperform them as much as possible.”