Sports

Cubs Left-Hander Shota Imanaga Named to the NL All-Star Team

In 16 starts this season, MLB rookie Shota Imanaga has a 7-2 record and a 3.16 ERA. He has 92 strikeouts in 91 innings and has walked only 15 batters.

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2024

Ed Odeven

Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 3, 2024, at Wrigley Field. (KYODO)

Read the full story on SportsLook - Cubs Left-Hander Shota Imanaga Named to the NL All-Star Team

Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga has been one of Major League Baseball's biggest revelations in the first half of the 2024 season.

On Sunday, July 7, Imanaga was honored for his successful start to his MLB career by being named to the National League All-Star team's pitching staff. He is 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 16 starts.

The 2024 MLB All-Star Game is on Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home ballpark of the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers.

MLB selected Imanaga, 30, as the Cubs' lone representative for the Midsummer Classic.

In fan voting, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani was selected as the NL's starter at designated hitter.

No Japanese players were chosen for the American League All-Star team.

Imanaga, who signed a four-year contract with the Cubs in January, enjoyed a terrific start to his MLB career in the spring. He became the first starter since Dave Feriss of the Boston Red Sox in 1945 to post a 4-0 record and an ERA under 1.00 in his first five MLB career starts.

And he was named the NL Rookie of the Month for March/April with a 4-0 record and a 0.98 ERA in five starts.

The affable veteran lefty, who spent the previous eight seasons with NPB's Yokohama DeNA BayStars and tossed a no-hitter in 2022, has also displayed exceptional control, walking just 15 batters and striking out 92 in 91 innings.

What's more, he's embraced living and working in the Windy City. At the same time, his teammates and their rabid fans have embraced him.

Shota Imanaga 'Honored' to Be an All-Star

"I'm honored to have been picked," Imanaga was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "It'll be great if many people get to recognize my face and name. I was really happy to find myself named alongside many good players."

The Kitakyushu native was informed that he became an All-Star during a team meeting at Wrigley Field.

"When I was going into the meeting, I wasn't sure what the topic was going to be about," Imanaga told reporters through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. "We have plenty of amazing players and so if other people got chosen, that would make sense. When I was chosen, it made me very happy."

Speaking to his teammates in the clubhouse, as seen on this video, Imanaga added, "I really am going to stick my chest out and represent the Chicago Cubs well."

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.