Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga earned an All-Star bid midway through his first MLB season.
On Wednesday, he posted arguably the strongest effort of his remarkable rookie campaign. Imanaga pitched seven no-hit innings in a 12-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But he wasn’t allowed to complete the no-hit effort. Manager Craig Counsell pulled him after seven innings and 96 pitches. Cubs relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge completed the combined no-hit effort with 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth. The no-hitter was the first of any kind by the Cubs at Wrigley Field since 1972.
For the night, Imanaga allowed no hits, no runs and two walks while striking out seven Pirates batters. He threw 66 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He lowered his season-long ERA to 2.99 and his WHIP to 1.02 through 153 1/3 innings pitched.
Imanaga got more than enough run support in the win. Cubs hitters pounded Pirates pitchers for 17 hits including three home runs while posting 12 runs on the scoreboard. The Cubs improved to 72-68 with the win. They’re 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild-card berth.
Imanaga delivers after joining Cubs from Japan
The Cubs signed Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract in January to lure him from Japan. With the regular season winding down, the contract looks like a bargain.
Imanaga got off to a remarkable start to his MLB career, striking out nine Colorado Rockies batters in six two-hit shutout innings in April. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of that game before it was broken up. By mid-May, Imanaga had a 0.84 ERA, the lowest in MLB history through a pitcher’s first nine career starts.
The effort earned him an All-Star bid in July. Now he’s added perhaps the best start of his young career in a combined no-hit effort by the Cubs.
The no-hitter was the fourth of the MLB season and the first via a combined effort. Ronel Blanco (Astros), Dylan Cease (Padres) and Blake Snell (Giants) have the other three. Blanco had a shot at another no-hitter in June. Like Imanaga on Wednesday, Blanco was pulled from that game after seven no-hit innings.
