Shota Imanaga's dazzling, historic start changes the perception of this Cubs season

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CHICAGO — Shota Being Shota is the main difference between the Chicago Cubs confidently charging forward or quietly wondering if their season had already started to slip away. That's how good Shota Imanaga has been as a relatively unheralded 30-year-old rookie out of Japan. And that's how bad this could have gotten, given the team's other breakdowns.

Imanaga pitching like a Cy Young Award front-runner through mid-May was not one of the assumptions that the Cubs baked into their projections. Imanaga himself recognized that the learning curve would be steep. As it turns out, the best hitters in the world still have to adjust to the carry on the lefty's fastball, the bite to his splitter, and a pitching style that is fearless and attacking.

Imanaga entertained the crowd of 39,857 on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, spinning seven scoreless innings to put his team in position for a 1-0 walk-off win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. In Major League Baseball history, Imanaga's 0.84 ERA is the lowest of any starting pitcher (excluding openers) through nine career starts since 1913, when earned runs first became a stat. If Shotamania is becoming a thing where he gets recognized all around Chicago, he hasn't quite noticed yet.

"I haven't really walked around too much," Imanaga said through an interpreter. "I've been going from the field back to my house. The only time I really go out anywhere is buying my latte at Dunkin Donuts."

Teammates enjoy Imanaga's sense of humor and curiosity, the way he can be so chill off the field and so precise while doing his work between starts. The dazzling results have encouraged him to focus on his strengths and perform with a sense of freedom. If this is real, then the Cubs should aim much higher than winning a bad division or claiming the extra wild card.

Shōta Imanaga, Body English. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/HRCfQ8SymR

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2024

In terms of scope, Imanaga's nine-game snapshot surpassed Fernando Valenzuela's 0.91 ERA in 1981, a year he won the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year while carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a World Series title.

"When you start getting in this territory, you have to be a little surprised," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "It's been so much fun to watch."

The Cubs are 8-1 in Imanaga's starts and 18-20 in their other games. Six of those wins on Imanaga's starts followed a loss, helping the team maintain momentum. The Cubs have already won two 1-0 games started by Imanaga. The only loss in an Imanaga game happened while he threw five scoreless innings against a stacked Atlanta Braves lineup and wound up with a no-decision.

The Imanaga effect also includes the consistent delivery of innings, allowing the bullpen to reset and recover. His shortest start — four innings in an 8-1 win over the Dodgers on April 7 — was due to a rain delay that lasted nearly three hours at Wrigley Field. His 58 strikeouts through his first nine starts rank third in Cubs history behind Kerry Wood (85 in 1998) and Mark Prior (65 in 2002). His nine walks through his first nine starts are the fewest among Cubs pitchers (minimum 40 innings pitched) since 1901.

"If I'm being honest, I'm not really too interested in my own stats or any historic value," Imanaga said. "But just knowing that there are so many good pitchers that came before me is a good learning experience."

This magical ride won't last forever, but the Cubs believe Imanaga's experience and maturity will enable him to continue to make adjustments. He figured it out again on Saturday, walking Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter, Andrew McCutchen, and then retiring the next 11 batters. Of the four hits he allowed, two were infield singles. When the Pirates threatened with two two-out singles in the seventh inning, he responded by striking out Michael A. Taylor with three pitches. He flexed and sauntered off the mound, projecting confidence to a team that could have been reeling.

Shota Imanaga reacts during the seventh inning of the Cubs' 1-0 win over the Pirates. (Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

Since the end of spring training, the Cubs have placed 16 players on the injured list, an amount so large this early in the season that Counsell acknowledged he has wondered if the team could have done anything to prevent some of these issues. The Cubs are playing short-handed and using their third-string shortstop. Dansby Swanson (sprained right knee) is expected to be activated on Tuesday while Nico Hoerner has missed five consecutive games with left hamstring tightness.

Even when Swanson and Hoerner have been on the field together, the team's defense has not stood out as a strength. The Cubs haven't found any answers for Kyle Hendricks, whose spot in the rotation appears to be in jeopardy. The offense has been shut out three times in the past 10 games, a stretch that also included Paul Skenes firing six no-hit innings at Wrigley Field as well as all those zeros heading into Saturday's ninth inning.

The Cubs rallied against All-Star closer David Bednar as Cody Bellinger knocked a double into the left-field corner and scored on Christopher Morel's line drive into center field. Bellinger slid into home plate as Pirates catcher Joey Bart turned and tried to make the tag. Bart couldn't hold onto the ball. "Go, Cubs, Go" played on the stadium sound system, stopped when the Pirates challenged the call, and resumed once the replay review confirmed Bellinger was safe.

BALLGAME! CUBS WIN! pic.twitter.com/Zr417Cb3EP

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 18, 2024

Reciting the lyrics to that victory song — in English — became the signature moment from Imanaga's introductory news conference after he signed a four-year, $53 million contract. As reporters filed into the Wrigley Field interview room after Saturday's game, loud cheers in the clubhouse could be heard. The winning pitcher, closer Héctor Neris delivered an inspirational speech that Imanaga appreciated, reminding the group to keep going and continue working hard.

Teammates and coaches have made Imanaga feel welcome, which is part of the reason why the Cubs still have not had a three-game losing streak so far this season. No one was hyping up Imanaga as a star last winter, but this is happening, transcending what the Cubs thought might be possible.

"Hopefully, I can keep doing well and keep putting up stats," Imanaga said, "so people can recognize me while I'm walking around."

(Top photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)