Cubs starter Shota Imanaga celebrates after retiring the side in the fourth inning of Monday’s 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field.
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Cubs fans rose to their feet as lefty Shota Imanaga looked in for the sign. He fired a fastball across the lower third of the strike zone. Rockies hitter Nolan Jones whiffed, and Imanaga shouted in celebration.
He slapped his left hand across his chest, and the crowd’s roar swelled.
In the Cubs’ 5-0 victory that strikeout wrapped up an impressive debut for Imanaga. He recorded nine strikeouts in six shutout innings. He held the Rockies hitless until the sixth inning, when he only gave up a pair of innocuous singles.
In his first MLB start, Imanaga pushed himself to 92 pitches, giving the Cubs the length they needed after the bullpen had to shoulder three straight games in which the starter was out before the end of the fifth.
Imanaga has pitched in big moments before – and recently. In the World Baseball Classic last spring, he started for Team Japan against Team USA in the final.
His start Monday opened a new chapter of his career. And he did so in front of an announced attendance of over 40,000, in the first game hosted by Wrigley Field this season.
“There were enough firsts on a day like today for Shota that this one didn’t seem like another one to add, actually, for him, that maybe it would be for somebody else,” Counsell said.
Through the first five innings, Imanaga allowed only one baserunner. Former Cub Kris Bryant hit a line drive that glanced off third baseman Christopher Morel’s glove for an error in the second inning.
Imanaga battled in some deep counts. Right after Bryant got on, Imanaga used 13 pitches to strike out Ryan McMahon. After throwing seven straight fastballs to McMahon, Imanaga got hit to whiff on a splitter to end the at-bat.
The lefty seemed to only grow more efficient as the outing continued.
“He’s been so great at making adjustments to what’s going on here, and he takes in the right stuff, and then he kind of throws some stuff out,” Counsell said before the game. “But that ability just to make adjustments, that’s being a major league baseball player. And he’s good at it. You can tell he’s really good at it.”
The Cubs took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki hit singles to put runners on first and second for Morel.
Morel hit a sharp ground ball into left field, and Happ held up at third. But then the ball got under Jones’ glove. Happ and Suzuki crossed the plate as Jones chased after the ball rolling at the base of the left field wall.
Morel held up at third base as Jones finally threw in the ball, but his throw was off line of his cutoff man, and Morel turned the burners back on. He dove across home plate, hopped up and punched the air with an uppercut.