Shohei Ohtani vs. Michael King: all you need to know about their NLDS Game 2 matchup and key stats

Shohei Ohtani's LA Dodgers may face their stiffest challenge of the 2024 MLB postseason with Padres pitcher Michael King on Tuesday. While King owns some terrific career figures against LA, one player appears to have his number.

Throughout his career, Shohei Ohtani has been able to hit Michael King in some extremely tough moments. Although King is renowned for his clutch and ability to stifle opposing offenses, his stuff has had less of an effect on the Japanese superstar.

"Shohei Ohtani has hit three home runs against Michael King in his career. With the Padres RHP scheduled to start Game 3 against the Dodgers, #MLBTonight details what he'll need to do to keep Ohtani from going yard. #Postseason" - MLB Network

For his career, Shohei Ohtani is 6-for-14 with 3 home runs and 4 RBIs. The duel between the two players dates back to 2019 when Ohtani was playing for the Angels, and King was pitching for the New York Yankees.

To make matters more interesting, King touts some very favorable career figures against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Throughout some 22.1 career innings of work, King is 2-0 with a 2.82 ERA number and 26 strikeouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Michael King was asked what it says about the Padres' pitching staff that they've gone after Shohei Ohtani rather than just walking him:" - Michael King

Tuesday will mark Michael King's second start of the 2024 MLB postseason. In the NL Wild Card round against the Atlanta Braves, the New York State native put forth a masterful performance, tossing seven scoreless innings while posting up twelve strikeouts as his team qualified for the next round of the playoffs.

Shohei Ohtani has hit well against the rest of Padres pitching

In the 2024 season, Ohtani went 15-for-46 with a home run, 7 RBIs, and 7 runs scored against the San Diego Padres this season. Apart from Michael King, it appears as though San Diego has not been very successful at containing the Dodgers superstar this season.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers will send Walker Buehler to the mound. Buehler, a former All-Star, has been hampered by injuries this season. With most of his teammates bringing mediocre career figures against Michael King into the game, watch out for Ohtani to make a difference in the same, exciting way as he usually does.