CHICAGO (AP) — The road for Shota Imanaga from Japan to the major leagues included at least one sharp observation that has served him well in his transition to life with the Chicago Cubs.
“Watching foreign players in Japan and how they try to figure out how to get support from the fans, essentially I’m just doing the opposite of that, coming over here,” Imanaga said through a translator. “It was something I thought about.”
From his entertaining pitching style to his trips to Dunkin’ Donuts — “Either I order a small iced latte or a medium,” he said — Imanaga has moved with a purpose in his acclimation to the big leagues. And he is making it look easy at the moment.
Relying on a deceptive four-seam fastball that he usually locates at the top of the strike zone, along with a splitter that plays at the bottom, Imanaga is 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA for the contending Cubs. The left-hander also has 58 strikeouts and nine walks in 53 2/3 innings — thrusting himself into the early conversation for NL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award.
Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
Jeezy BACKTRACKS on request for full custody of daughter Monaco, two, amid Jeannie Mai divorce
The Walking Dead star Tom Payne 'unexpectedly' welcomes TWINS with model wife Jennifer Akerman
JAN MOIR: Another day, another desperate Montecito dollar. This time with jam on it!
Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education
The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'
Has Salman Rushdie changed after his stabbing? Well, he feels about 25, the author tells AP
A former Russian tycoon who once led separatist region launches a hunger strike in Azerbaijan jail
Candice Swanepoel stuns in a form
Gay 30 Rock actor Maulik Pancholy is canceled from anti
Nadal returns to Roland Garros to practice amid doubts over fitness and form
France asks retailers to alert customers to cases of 'shrinkflation'