Two Japanese Chicago Cubs players had a day to remember in Florida against the Miami Marlins. Right Fielder Seiya Suzuki went 3-of-5 with two home runs and a triple. Starting Pitcher Shota Imanaga surrendered two earned runs over seven innings of work as the Chicago Cubs coasted to a 14-2 victory.
According to OptaStats, Chicago is the first team in MLB history to have one Japanese-born player notch 3+ extra-base hits and another Japanese-born player earn the win in the same game. This is such a surprising feat as the country of Japan has a rich history of players in Major League Baseball including Shohei Ohtani, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui.
Seiya Suzuki is hitting .271 with 18 home runs and 60 RBI while Imanaga is 10-3 with a 3.08 ERA. His 3.08 is eighth-best in the league. Will this dynamic duo be able to keep up their stellar play in the home stretch of the regular season as the Chicago Cubs fight for a playoff spot?
Chicago Cubs Season Summary
The @Cubs are the first team in MLB history to have one Japanese-born player notch 3+ extra-base hits (Seiya Suzuki) and another Japanese-born player earn the win (Shota Imanaga) in the same game.
Via: @OptaSTATS pic.twitter.com/B2FqbCT65W
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2024
It has been an inconsistent regular season for the Chicago Cubs(65-65). They are tied for second place in the National League Central and are five games back of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Chicago’s offense has been average this season. They are 22nd in batting average, 18th in home runs, and 16th in runs scored. Their offense is paced by Center Fielder Cody Bellinger and Left Fielder Ian Happ. Bellinger leads the team in batting average while Happ leads them in home runs and RBI.
The pitching staff of the Chicago Cubs has been the stronger part of their team this season. They are fourth in ERA, 12th in strikeouts, and eighth in opposing batting average. Their pitching staff is led by Imanaga. He leads the team in all important pitching categories and is taking the league by storm in his rookie campaign.
Imanaga’s Next Scheduled Start
The next scheduled start for Shota Imanaga is on August 30 on the road against the Washington Nationals. This will be the first time in his career that Imanaga will face Washington. Chicago plays the final game of their three-game set with the Miami Marlins tomorrow afternoon. The Cubs begin a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The Chicago Cubs undoubtedly have an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to make the 2024 MLB Playoffs. Their playoff chances are a mere 3.9% according to ESPN. If Chicago is to make a true run at the playoffs, Suzuki and Imanaga will need to recreate a performance like they had this afternoon.
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