Following Shohei Ohtani’s WBC Triumph and Marriage, Is World Series Success His Next Target?

Shohei Ohtani is like a classic Michael Bay movie – bombs just keep dropping. Just like Bay revolutionized filmmaking with his camera work, Ohtani has revolutionized baseball through his two-way domination. That domination is a result of the hard work and ambitions that Shotime has had since childhood. He has a whole list of it!

Ohtani’s famous list isn’t an unknown entity. The two-way Phenom had a list of goals he wanted to reach by 42. Essentially, the superstar had predicted his entire baseball career on a single sheet of paper. Some of his goals were winning the WBC, being named the MVP, and getting married. But there are still a few that are yet to be touched by Ohtani.

As his list predicts, Ohtani wanted to win the Cy Young award – he hasn’t done that yet. Nor has he thrown the fastest pitch in baseball history. But one could argue that this is partly due to him transitioning so beautifully into a two-way player. So these are great goals, but they aren’t the primary motivators anymore. It’s something else. It’s the World Series!

Ohtani had predicted or aimed that he would win the World Series at age 26 – the same age he was supposed to marry. So, in his mind, Ohtani was always going to wed and win the Fall Classic in a single year. Funnily enough, he can still do it – there’s a whole season ahead of him. Will his marriage affect his focus? Not if we believe Ohtani. The Japanese baseball pitcher got hitched before the season commenced because he wanted to “focus on baseball.” 

“I think it’s best to do it before the season rather than during the season,” Ohtani said. So it seems that ‘Shotime’ is all set to make 2024 a milestone year for him. Luckily others in the Los Angeles Dodgers are ready as well.

Read more: ”So shocked my ears hurt”: Shohei Ohtani’s Marriage Announcement Creates Chaos Amongst MLB Fans

The Fall Classic dream that drives Shohei Ohtani 

World Series has forever been the driving force behind everything that Ohtani does. Unfortunately, in his 5-year stint with the LA Angels, he never managed to qualify for the playoffs. That became a primary reason he chose the Dodgers. Notably, they’ve qualified for every playoff since 2012. However, it was the fact that the Blue Crew considered it a failure that they had won just once that sealed the deal for Shotime. 

“When I heard that, I knew that they were all about winning,” Ohtani quipped. His teammate Mookie Betts has also uttered similar words to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Betts wasn’t happy that they hadn’t won more. He said winning once in nine or ten years “is not good in our sport.” 

So, as it stands, the Dodgers are in an agreement that they want to win this year. So one wonders – could Ohtani fulfill another one of his dreams so quickly? It sure would be a sight to see if he does.

Read more: Shohei Ohtani Married to Japanese Comedian? Strategically Timed Post Stirs Wedding Rumor Mill