Remember when Ohtani's goals went viral? Let's check in on those ...

Back in high school, Shohei Ohtani put together a very specific list of goals that were, by any measure, quite lofty.

His ledger was broken down year by year, with the Dodgers superstar noting both personal and career milestones he hoped to achieve at each age. Ohtani’s objectives first went viral in late 2017 when the two-way phenom announced his decision to shift his career from Japan to Major League Baseball.

Now, the list is once again garnering some attention as the Dodgers prepare to host the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

The main reason is this goal: Win the World Series and get married.

Get married? ??

Win the World Series? To be determined.

Sure, Ohtani had that goal down for age 26, but it’s all coming together just a few years behind schedule.

Back in Spring Training, the then-29-year-old Ohtani shocked nearly everyone when he announced he was married. And now, eight months later, he and the Dodgers are just four wins away from a World Series title.

With Ohtani primed to potentially complete two major life goals in 2024 -- ones he long ago anticipated checking off in the same year -- it seemed like a good time to revisit some of his other high school prognostications.

Age 18: Join an MLB team
Age 19: Reach Triple-A
Age 20: Make MLB debut, earn approximately $13 million

This timeline was thrown off slightly by Ohtani beginning his career in Japan, where he burst onto the international scene as a two-way star. But following the 2017 season, he decided to pursue his Major League Baseball dreams. Ohtani immediately became the most highly sought-after free agent of that class, ultimately signing with the Angels on Dec. 9, 2017, at the age of 23. Ohtani never spent a day in the Minors, instead making his MLB debut on Opening Day 2018.

As for the goal of making approximately $13 million, Ohtani was limited to a $3.5 million signing bonus and a Major League minimum of $545,000 for his first season -- but he’s more than made up for it since. He signed a one-year, $30 million deal with the Angels to avoid arbitration for the 2023 season … then inked a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason.

Not even Ohtani dreamt big enough to fathom a contract with an average annual value of $70 million. Safe to say each of the above goals were crossed off the list.

Age 21: Make starting rotation, win 16 games
Age 22: Win Cy Young Award

Ohtani had no problem cracking the Angels’ rotation as a rookie in 2018, though a series of arm injuries over the years has impacted some of his other pitching-related goals. His only full season without any restrictions as a starter came in 2022 -- and he nearly made good on those other two goals.

Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA over 28 starts in 2022 – his only season starting more than 23 games to this point. Along with finishing just one win shy of that random 16-win threshold he set for himself, the right-hander checked in fourth in AL Cy Young voting. He also finished second in AL MVP voting that season -- sandwiched between winning AL MVP honors in both ’21 and ’23.

Age 23: Member of Japan World Baseball Classic team
Age 27: Member of Japan WBC team and win MVP

Ohtani’s first chance to play in the World Baseball Classic would have been in 2021, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that missed opportunity, Ohtani had to make up for lost time when he finally got his shot to play in the WBC in 2023. He not only made the roster, but he also crossed off his other WBC-related goal by earning MVP honors in dominant fashion.

Ohtani hit .435 with a .606 on-base percentage and 1.345 OPS. He tied for the tournament lead with 10 hits and led all players with 10 walks. He also had a homer, a stolen base and four doubles -- oh, and he dominated on the mound, too. Ohtani went 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings, while also coming on to record the save in Japan’s Classic-clinching win by striking out then-teammate Mike Trout to seal the victory.

So ... what’s next?

Ohtani obviously has made significant progress on his goals, but the best might still be to come -- especially if he keeps making the strides he has over the past year.

The rest of the Majors should be on notice that Ohtani didn’t set a goal of winning just one World Series. He planned to win a second ring at age 32, which would be the 2026 season -- and a third World Series title two years after that.

High school Ohtani also had his sights set on things like throwing a no-hitter (and then a second one a few years later), setting the single-season wins record by a Japanese pitcher (18 by Daisuke Matsuzaka) and eventually starting a family later in his career. He also wanted to make another World Baseball Classic appearance for Japan, something he could easily do in 2026.

Yet as optimistic as some of his goals may have seemed, Ohtani was also a realist. He acknowledged that his stats would start to decline at age 38, prompting him to think about retirement. At 39, he’d make the decision to retire at the end of the following season.

But before stepping away from MLB and returning to Japan at age 41, Ohtani had one last goal to accomplish: Throw a no-hitter in his final game.

That would be quite the ending to a likely Hall of Fame career, but after the year Ohtani has had, would accomplishing anything on his list be all that surprising?

All of that remains to be seen, but for now, the focus is entirely on the goal directly in front of him:

Win the World Series.