Chicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga has never started a postseason game, but that doesn’t mean he’s a stranger to big moments.
The 32-year-old started for Team Japan in the championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping his team secure a 2-1 win over Team USA. Imanaga also brings over 1,000 innings of experience in Nippon Professional Baseball, and he’s 24-10 with a 3.04 ERA in 51 Major League starts.
That’s why the Cubs, who currently hold the top National League Wild Card spot, have full confidence in Imanaga come October—as revealed in a new piece by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
Cubs confident in Imanaga
Imanaga signed with the Cubs as a free agent before the 2024 season. He’s since been one of the best pitchers in baseball, with one All-Star appearance and a combined no-hitter on his resume.
“Shota has spoiled us from Day 1 in terms of how good he’s been,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, per Mooney. “He passed every test now. I remember last year: ‘Oh, this is the second time he’s going to face a team. Is he going to be good?’ Those were some of the questions being asked.
But he’s gone through the league multiple times. He’s faced the same hitters multiple times. He’s (done) the game planning. He’s shown that he’s just good.”
Imanaga primarily alternates between a four-seam fastball and split-finger. While his pitches aren’t high in velocity, his accuracy is exceptional. He ranks in the top 4% of MLB in walk rate (4.6%) and boasts a 31.0% chase rate as well, per Baseball Savant. That’s what makes it so hard for teams to game plan against him.
“There have been games where teams have a plan against him,” Counsell said. “I don’t think that’s helped, necessarily, but it makes sense. There have been some teams that have tried to attack the high fastball. There have been teams that have tried to be super patient with the split-finger.
But he executes at such a high level, and there’s enough difference in those pitches, and he’s crafty enough to mix in some other looks, that he can still win and sniff out or sense what the other team is trying to do and be successful.”
The Cubs are confident that approach will translate to postseason baseball.
