{"id":42100,"date":"2025-03-18T00:44:38","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T00:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100"},"modified":"2025-03-18T00:44:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T00:44:38","slug":"opening-day-on-an-international-stage-awaits-chicago-cubs-shota-imanaga-really-want-to-think-about-this-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100","title":{"rendered":"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

TOKYO \u2014 In the largely empty Tokyo Dome, Shota Imanaga stood on the mound during the Chicago Cubs\u2019 workout Monday afternoon to get a sense of what he would feel in a much livelier atmosphere roughly 24 hours later.<\/p>\n

During his rookie season last year, Imanaga sometimes would get on the mound of a new ballpark the day before a start to visualize what awaited him. In this case, Imanaga \u2014 who pitched at the Tokyo Dome during his eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and in the World Baseball Classic \u2014 wanted to check the mound\u2019s clay dirt and confirm it was similar, if not the same, to what he\u2019s now used to in the major leagues.<\/p>\n

Imanaga acknowledged the nerves he was feeling ahead of starting opening day Tuesday against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. There was no denying the pressure Imanaga would face in the marquee start.<\/p>\n

Learning how to handle pressure is an integral part of being a successful professional athlete. Imanaga has talked to a mental skills coach a handful of times, noting through interpreter Edwin Stanberry that \u201cpersonally, my mental skills aren\u2019t that good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are times where you feel like you want to run away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Imanaga talked to teammate Justin Steele about pressure, and the fellow left-hander tried to put it in perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018In 100 years, nobody\u2019s going to remember this,’\u201d Imanaga said Steele told him. \u201cBut I feel like, if I do live 100 years, there is going to be somebody out there who\u2019s going to remember this. So I feel like I\u2019m just going to go out there and kind of think about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Opening
Workers fill in painted turf signage for the Tokyo Series after workouts from the Cubs and Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome on March 17, 2025, in Tokyo. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a kid, Imanaga fell in love with baseball because he enjoyed practicing and learning how to do something when he struggled. If there was a baseball skill he didn\u2019t do well right away, he focused on developing that skill over time, which brought him happiness.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until college, though, when more scouts started coming to his games, that he realized he had a path to playing baseball professionally.<\/p>\n

The work Imanaga put in to establish himself first in NPB and then to make the jump to the majors \u2014 where his rookie season produced one of the best performances by a big-league starter in 2024 \u2014 set him up for Tuesday\u2019s international stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cShota has this unique way of competing and having fun and us being able to see that all at the same time, and that\u2019s a really special trait,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said Monday. \u201cAnd it\u2019s best for fans because you get to see his joy. Some players, they\u2019re competing and it\u2019s hard to see their joy. With Shota we can see his joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (Tuesday will be) a little harder for him so we maybe won\u2019t see it as much because it\u2019s important. \u2026 That\u2019s why we do this is to have moments like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imanaga\u2019s showdown with the expected Dodgers leadoff hitter, Shohei Ohtani, in their home country in front of a sold-out ballpark of 55,000 fans to begin the season is arguably the most compelling way the Major League Baseball season could start.<\/p>\n

Japanese reporters asked Imanaga multiple questions during Monday\u2019s news conference about facing Ohtani. One even wondered if the lefty already knew what he would throw in the game\u2019s first at-bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I said the first pitch, it\u2019s like I\u2019m going to go scissors in rock, paper, scissors, so I can\u2019t say,\u201d Imanaga said, prompting laughs. \u201cBut I probably can say the 25th pitch \u2014 I\u2019d go with paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imanaga did not hesitate, however, when weighing where starting opening day at the Tokyo Dome against the Dodgers would rank among all of his career games. He put it at the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all is said and done, when I\u2019m done with my career, when I take off my jersey, I really want to think about this moment,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to do well so that memory is a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

Shota Imanaga stood on the mound at the Tokyo Dome during the Chicago Cubs\u2019 workout to get a sense of what he will feel when he takes the mound in a much more lively atmosphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":42101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,1249,1248,53,117,938],"class_list":["post-42100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-cubs-opening-day","tag-mlb-opening-day","tag-shohei-ohtani","tag-shota-imanaga","tag-tokyo-series"],"yoast_head":"\nOpening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shota Imanaga stood on the mound at the Tokyo Dome during the Chicago Cubs\u2019 workout to get a sense of what he will feel when he takes the mound in a much more lively atmosphere.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100\",\"name\":\"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA","og_description":"Shota Imanaga stood on the mound at the Tokyo Dome during the Chicago Cubs\u2019 workout to get a sense of what he will feel when he takes the mound in a much more lively atmosphere.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100","name":"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019 - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-18T00:44:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-84-2.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42100#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opening day on an international stage awaits Chicago Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga: \u2018Really want to think about this moment\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42102,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42100\/revisions\/42102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}