The Mets and Dodgers open their best-of-seven series — a battle between the lowest-seeded, season-saving upstarts versus the top-seeded perennial power — at 8:15 p.m. ET Sunday in Los Angeles. At the outset, here are five storylines that will dominate conversation and perhaps the games. 1. This is the Shohei Ohtani show.

The Mets are in the NLCS for the first time since 2015 after defeating the rival Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series.

As the Dodgers embark on a quick turnaround for the NLCS, here are nine things to know about the Mets — and the concerns their upstart opponents might pose.