Chicago Cubs Shota Imanaga started the 2024 Major League San Diego Padres home showdown at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on the 8th (Korea time) and recorded 102 pitches, 7 hits (one homer) and 8 strikeouts (two earned runs) in 7 innings. 스포츠토토핫
Imanaga, who challenged the big leagues through the posting system, took the major league stage this winter through a contract that would grow to a four-year guarantee of 53 million dollars (about 72.4 billion won) and up to 80 million dollars (about 109.3 billion won) per 4+1 year if the Cubs implement the option. Imanaga did not receive much attention throughout the stove league and exhibition games due to the presence of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA Dodgers), but after the regular season began, the spotlight began to gradually turn toward Imanaga.
On the 1st of last month, Imanaga played a scoreless game against the Colorado Rockies with two hits, no outs and no outs, and then pitched in five games during April, achieving a remarkable record of 0.98 ERA with four wins and no losses. As a result, he enjoyed being named the "Rookie of the Month." And against the New York Mets on the 2nd, he recorded seven strikeouts in seven innings, tying for first in multiple wins in the Major League and the first in ERA along with quality start+ (less than three earned runs in seven innings).
Given Imana\'s detailed indicators, her current performance tends to be highly "lucky." However, she is adapting to the big league stage by making the most of her strengths, including left-handed splitters, which are rare in the Major League, by using her high-speed fastball to precisely control the course of the strike zone. Although she did not have a chance to win on the day, she proved that her performance thus far was not made out of "lucky."
Imanaga had a walk in the first inning and a hit in the second inning, sending runners out from the start. However, Imanaga did not allow runners to hit the second base at all, and continued pitching without allowing a single point. After stabilizing himself, Imanaga cruised by tying up the batters leading to Kyle Higashioka, Jurickson Profar, Fernando Tatis Jr. in the third inning, and Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning. Then, although he got a hit by Jose Asoka after striking out Donovan Solano with a fly ball to left field and Kim Ha-sung with a foul tip in the fifth inning, he ended the inning without any significant crisis, meeting the requirements for his victory.
The team successfully overcame its biggest crisis. After a hit by Tatis Jr. in the sixth inning, Imana lost a point when she gave up a surprise bunt to Cronenworth. Then, she hit an overwhelming pitch. Imana hit Machado\'s body, thinned out a strikeout, and gave Bogartz a win shot with a splitter. After escaping from a major crisis, Imana roared to the dugout, and tied up the San Diego batters in the seventh inning without a crisis.
The problem was in the eighth inning. As of the end of the seventh inning, Imanaga had 95 pitches, but he appeared on the mound once again. As a result, after being hit by leadoff hitter Luis Arraez, he was hit by Jurickson Profar, who has been experiencing explosive batting performance, and allowed a come-from-behind two-run homer after being hit by a splitter at the fifth pitch. Eventually, Imanaga failed to finish the inning and left the mound, and his ERA, which had fallen to 0.65, soared to 1.08 in an instant.
Despite allowing two runs in seven innings, Imanaga was on the verge of losing the game. However, the situation did not unfold. The Cubs tied the game in attack in the bottom of the eighth inning, getting out of the crisis of losing the game. And with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Imanaga took the mound to record all seven games. According to Japan\'s Sports Hochi, Imanaga hurriedly moved to the dugout after watching the walk-off home run while stretching after finishing the game, and enjoyed the joy of his team\'s victory.
Imanaga said, "I liked it the most when the fastball was thrown over the batter\'s belt. In particular, I really wanted to strike out against Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts in the sixth inning, but I was able to carry it out. I was angry because I had a reversal, but I was glad I won." "There were two mistakes in the third match against Machado, and it was not strange even if it was a home run. After that, the fans started cheering as they pushed for two strikes, and I was so happy. I can\'t wake up well these days, and I want to use that shout as an alarm," he said with a big smile.
What made him take the mound in the eighth inning despite the fact that he had 95 pitches at the end of the seventh inning? "I was preparing because I didn\'t say anything (on the bench). I was happy to get the belief that I was going to take the mound in the eighth inning as well, and it was very valuable to me. I also gained confidence from the fact that the coach had that belief. I wanted to take a double play after sending out the leadoff hitter in the eighth inning. If I had done it, I could have gained even more trust, and I have regrets about it," he said. "I am angry, but it was a well-deserved pitch."
Lastly, Imana said, "When I look back on every appearance, most of them were \'It turned out well.\' It wasn\'t good for me. It feels like coincidences and results overlap," adding, "From now on, I will throw well so that I can feel \'I blocked it\'."
On this day, Imana\'s ERA soared due to a home run, but he has the third-lowest ERA in his first seven games since 1912, following Phil Douglas (1918, ERA 0.79) and Dick Ellsworth (1963, 0.91). And according to Sarah Reims of "MLB.com ," it was the first time in history that he had an ERA of 1.08 and only five walks in the first seven games of his debut season, and the fourth in Cubs history after Glover Alexander (1920), Warren Hacker (1952), and Jake Arrieta (2015).