Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga was named an All-Star in the middle of his first MLB season.
On Wednesday, he delivered arguably the strongest performance of his remarkable rookie season, pitching seven hitless innings in a 12-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But he didn’t get the chance to complete the no-hit attempt. Manager Craig Counsell pulled him from the game after seven innings and 96 pitches. Cubs relief pitchers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge then completed the combined no-hit attempt with 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth. The no-hitter was the the first time ever by the Cubs at Wrigley Field since 1972.
On the night, Imanaga allowed no hits, no runs and two walks and struck out seven Pirates batters. He threw 66 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He lowered his ERA for the season to 2.99 and his WHIP to 1.02 after 153 1/3 innings pitched.
Imanaga got more than enough run support in the win. The Cubs hitters pounded the Pirates pitchers with 17 hits, including three home runs, and put 12 runs on the scoreboard. The Cubs improved their record to 72-68 with the win. They are 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card spot.
Imanaga has delivered since moving from Japan to the Cubs
The Cubs lured Imanaga from Japan in January on a four-year, $53 million contract, and with the regular season coming to a close, this deal looks like a bargain.
Imanaga had a remarkable start to his MLB career, striking out nine Colorado Rockies batters in six innings of two hits and one shutout in April. He managed a no-hitter until the sixth inning of that game before it was called off. By mid-May, Imanaga had an ERA of 0.84, the lowest in MLB history after a pitcher’s first nine career starts.
That performance earned him an All-Star nomination in July, and now he’s off to perhaps the best start of his young career in a combined no-hit performance by the Cubs.
The no-hitter was the fourth of the MLB season and the first to come from a combined effort. Ronel Blanco (Astros), Dylan Cease (Padres) and Blake Snell (Giants) threw the other three. Blanco had a chance at another no-hitter in June. Like Imanaga on Wednesday, he was taken out of that game after seven innings without a hit.
