SHOTA IMANAGA NEWS

Dominant in final first-half start Imanaga (8-2) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Orioles. He allowed six hits and a walk, while striking out six.

Impact Imanaga finished the first half of the season in style, as he allowed zero runs in a start for the seventh time already this year. The lefty got off to a blazing start in his MLB debut, posting a 0.84 ERA across his first nine outings, before enduring a few lumps since then. However, he has a solid 3.00 ERA over his last three starts and 2.97 ERA overall, giving him some momentum heading into his All-Star appearance next week. Imanaga is tentatively set to take the mound again for the Cubs on July 20 against the Diamondbacks.

JULY 11 • ROTOWIRE

Shota Imanaga, Cubs shutout Orioles Shota Imanaga threw six shutout innings and the Chicago Cubs prevailed in a showdown featuring All-Star pitchers, defeating the host Baltimo...

JULY 11 • SACBEE.COM

Imanaga twirls 6 scoreless frames in final ASG tuneup BALTIMORE -- Shota Imanaga had one more gem to piece together for the Cubs before heading into his All-Star break. In putting the finishing...

JULY 11 • MLB.COM

Pirates' Paul Skenes an All-Star just 8 weeks after debut, and 7 Phillies picked for All-Star Game

Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes was picked for the All-Star Game just eight weeks after his debut, and major league-leading Philadelphia had...

JULY 7

Strikes out eight in quality start Imanaga allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies.

Impact Imanaga held his own versus a tough opponent, though he allowed home runs to Rafael Marchan and Alec Bohm. This was Imanaga's fourth quality start in his last five outings, the exception being a 10-run anomaly versus the Mets on June 21. The southpaw is now at a 3.16 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 92:15 K:BB through 91 innings over 16 starts this season. He's projected for another challenging opponent next week when he's lined up to for a road start in Baltimore.

JULY 4 • ROTOWIRE

Start moved to Thursday Manager Craig Counsell said that Imanaga will make his next start in Thursday's series finale in San Francisco, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Impact Imanaga had previously been in line to start Wednesday, but he'll get an extra day to rest up after he was lit up for 10 earned runs in just three innings during his most recent outing Friday against the Mets. Despite his awful performance Friday, the 30-year-old southpaw has still been strong overall with a 2.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP alongside an 81:12 K:BB through 79 innings over 14 starts. Counsell didn't name a replacement starter for Wednesday, though he noted a bullpen game is the most likely course of action.

JUNE 26 • ROTOWIRE

'Chalk it up to a bad day': Imanaga hit hard vs. Mets CHICAGO -- Shota Imanaga has risen to the occasion time and time again this season during a stellar start to his Major League career. His la...

JUNE 22 • MLB.COM

Shota shuts down Cards in latest masterful start CHICAGO -- Shota Imanaga has put up eye-popping statistics in a historic start to his Major League career. But for this Cubs team, one figur...

JUNE 15 • MLB.COM

Takes first loss Imanaga (5-1) took the loss Wednesday versus the Brewers, allowing seven runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out one over 4.1 innings.

Impact Imanaga's last scheduled start was rained out, and instead of pushing him back, the Cubs opted to build in some extra rest for the southpaw. That plan appears to have backfired, as the seven runs he allowed Wednesday matched the total he'd given up in his first nine starts combined. His ERA rose from 0.84 to 1.86, and he's added a 1.00 WHIP and 59:10 K:BB across 58 innings through his first 10 big-league starts. Imanaga will look to shake off his first poor outing when he next takes the mound, which is tentatively projected to be a home start versus the White Sox.

MAY 30 • ROTOWIRE

Counsell explains 'proactive move' to push Shota's start back ST. LOUIS -- Cubs manager Craig Counsell is constantly balancing the game in front of him with the rigors of a long season. He once again pu...

MAY 25 • MLB.COM

Analysis | Shota Imanaga has the best fastball in MLB. It's also one of the slowest. The Cubs’ 30-year old rookie is setting an historic pace to start the season, with the help of a nasty fastball.

MAY 23 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

'He did it again': Shota adds even more accolades in latest start ATLANTA -- The Braves’ vaunted lineup gave Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga the hardest challenge of his young Major League career on Monday night....

MAY 14 • MLB.COM

The 10 biggest surprises of the MLB season, from sensational Shota Imanaga to underwhelming Astros The big surprises are one of the best parts of the start of each MLB season. Every year, the fans, media, players, field staff and front off...

MAY 13 • THEATHLETIC.COM

How a 92 mph fastball became MLB's most valuable pitch The most valuable pitch in baseball in 2024 is a 92 mph fastball. That seems impossible. But Shota Imanaga is showing the Major Leagues that...

MAY 7 • MLB.COM

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani headline Ben Verlander’s Team of the Month

The first full month of the MLB season is in the books, which means it's time for Ben Verlander to give out his star-studded Team of the Mon...

MAY 6

Cubs Pitcher Shota Imanaga Says He Recognized NYC From Spider-Man Wednesday marked Shota Imanaga's first time pitching in New York City, and he told reporters afterwards that he recognized it from the Spide...

MAY 2 • OUTKICK.COM

Imanaga in historic company as dominant start continues NEW YORK -- Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga pitched on five days’ rest for the first time in his brief career in the big leagues on Wednesday...

MAY 2 • MLB.COM

What early MLB trends should you believe, and not believe, as April turns to May? Teams and players have made their first impressions. What are the April baseball anomalies, and what early results will have staying power.

APRIL 30 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Shota Imanaga Off to Historic Start in First Five Appearances With Cubs The left-handed pitcher is cruising through opposing lineups at a historic pace.

APRIL 27 • SI.COM

Three reasons why Cubs' Shōta Imanaga might be biggest steal from free agency

Overshadowed by Shohei Ohtani and a handful of coveted pitchers in MLB free agency, Shōta Imanaga is looking like the best value signing of...

APRIL 24

Shōta Imanaga, Colton Cowser headline MLB's 10 best rookies

A wave of rookies are making an impact across MLB — and it largely hasn't been who we expected. Here are the top 10 rookies of the 2024 seas...

APRIL 18

Scoreless streak ends, but Shota still has yet to allow an ER SEATTLE -- Shota Imanaga has been one of baseball’s best stories out of the gates this season. The Cubs' rookie left-hander kept his strong...

APRIL 14 • MLB.COM

Cubs' Shota Imanaga faces Dodgers, looks to repeat strong debut Shota Imanaga will have a tough act to follow when he takes the mound on Sunday afternoon for the Chicago Cubs against the visiting Los Ange...

APRIL 7 • KANSASCITY.COM

Dominant in MLB debut Imanaga (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Rockies. He allowed two hits and struck out nine.

Impact Making his first regular-season start in the majors, Imanaga looked right at home as he cruised through the Colorado lineup on 92 pitches. The lefty, who came over from Japan in the offseason on a four-year, $53 million deal, could be relied on even more heavily in the early going with Justin Steele (hamstring) likely out until May. The early indication is that Imanaga is up to the task and could be a strong fantasy asset. He'll look to build on his promising debut in his next start, which is tentatively set for Sunday against the Dodgers, a decidedly tougher opponent.

APRIL 1 • ROTOWIRE

Cubs' Shota Imanaga dominates Rockies in his MLB debut Shota Imanaga struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter in his six-inning major league debut and the host Chicago Cubs shut out the Colorado...

APRIL 1 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM