Shohei Ohtani vs. Dylan Cease: All you need to know about their NLDS Game 4 matchup and key stats

Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the brink of elimination. What stands in their way is a daunting foe: Dylan Cease. Though the team did hit him very well in Game 1, his overall stats for the season suggest that he won't be so easily battered again.

Ohtani has fared pretty well against Cease in his career. The slugger is 4/15 against the pitcher, with two home runs and four RBIs in 17 total plate appearances.

Ohtani previously played in the American League, as did Cease. However, since they were not in the same division, they did not match up that often. Furthermore, Cease has been in the MLB since 2019, one year after Ohtani came over.

Ohtani blasted his very first playoff home run in Game 1 against Cease. The San Diego Padres pitcher was uncharacteristically shelled in that game, giving up five runs in a losing effort before being pulled in the fourth inning.

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Shohei Ohtani focusing on Game 4

Shohei Ohtani will need to repeat what he did against Dylan Cease if he hopes to lead the Dodgers at least to a home Game 5 in the NLDS. If he can't, the No. 1 seed and the team with MLB's best record might go home shockingly early.

Shohei Ohtani is looking to Game 4 (Imagn)

Ohtani was asked after Game 3 how devastating the loss was. He answered, via Clutch Points:

“What's done is done now, so at this point, it's very simple. It's to win two games."

The Dodgers nearly made an impressive comeback. They led 1-0 on a Mookie Betts solo home run before the Padres put up six against Walker Buehler. The Dodgers responded with Ohtani getting on base and scoring on a Teoscar Hernandez grand slam in the third inning.

That cut the lead to one run early in the game, but their rally ended there. The Dodgers never even got another runner in scoring position for the rest of the game, falling 6-5 to drop into the hole they find themselves in now.

Ohtani is moving on and putting it behind him since they have the chance to reverse their fortunes Wednesday night and send the series back to LA.