Following seven scoreless innings Wednesday night on the road against the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs Starting Pitcher Shota Imanaga lowered his ERA to 0.78. He is more than half an earned run clear of second place and Philadelphia Phillies Staring Pitcher Ranger Suarez. Imanaga has been stellar all season long as he is 5-0 on the season and has surrendered no earned runs in four of his six starts this season.
Imanaga was thrilled to pitch in the “Big Apple” for the first time in his Major League career. His quote following last night’s game provided context behind a great appearance by the pitcher:
“The view from the hotel, I recognize it from Spider-Man. So I was just like, oh, this is where Spider-Man was.”
He was seemingly motivated by his time in New York. Will Imanaga be able to keep up his great start to the 2024 season?
Shota Imanaga Career Summary
After tonight's start, Shota Imanaga holds the lowest ERA in @MLB with 0.78. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oRjBZNbvBD
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 2, 2024
Imanaga signed a four-year $53 million contract with the Chicago Cubs in January of 2024. Imanaga came over to the United States following a great career in his home county of Japan in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Imanaga is a great player in a long line of Japanese players currently making a sizable impact in Major League Baseball.
Yu Darvish, Kodai Senga, and Shohei Ohtani are just a few of the standout Japanese players making an impact here in the United States.
Chicago Cubs Season Recap
The Chicago Cubs (19-12) have defied expectations up until this point and are only 0.5 GB of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central. The team is second in the wild card race nearly 20 percent through the regular season.
Imanaga leads a Cubs pitching staff that is league average with a 3.90 ERA. The Chicago Cubs have seen their pitching staff ravaged by injuries with Starting Pitchers Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, and Jordan Wicks all recently heading to the Injured List.
Chicago has been powered by a high-scoring offense that is ninth in runs scored. It is not only the Cubs pitching staff that has been hampered by injuries, but also key members of their offense. Cody Bellinger was placed on the IL with a right rib fracture and Seiya Suzuki has been sidelined with an oblique injury since mid-April.
Chicago Cubs Upcoming Schedule
The Cubs close out their series against the New York Mets this afternoon before heading home for a six-game homestand against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and a San Diego Padres team that has gotten off to a slow start. Imanaga will look to continue his great rookie season and keep the Cubs afloat until their key players can return to the diamond.
About The Author
Justin has always loved sports. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated and 247Sports. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports
