Shota Imanaga
| Shota Imanaga | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Imanaga with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago Cubs – No. 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: September 1, 1993 Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB: March 29, 2016, for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB: April 1, 2024, for the Chicago Cubs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics (through 2023 season) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 64–50 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through May 4, 2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 18–5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 2.89 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 208 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Shōta Imanaga (今永 昇太, Imanaga Shōta; born September 1, 1993), nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher", and "Mike Imanaga II" is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 2016 to 2023. Imanaga is a two-time NPB All-Star and he led the Central League in strikeouts in 2023 before signing with the Cubs during the 2023–24 offseason. In his first season as a Cub, Imanaga was an All-Star.
On September 4, 2024, Imanaga pitched a combined no-hitter with relief pitchers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge. The game, which was against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, was the first no-hitter to be thrown at Wrigley by the Cubs since Milt Pappas no-hit the San Diego Padres in Chicago 52 years and 2 days prior, on September 2, 1972.