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.
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
VOX POPULI: Being an adult should be about more than what we can achieve
How a barber helped change the views of a bigoted client
Will Stonehenge lose its Unesco World Heritage status?
Lynn Williams breaks NWSL goal
VOX POPULI: Look up from your smartphone and see the world around you
Will Stonehenge lose its Unesco World Heritage status?
General specialist surgery trainees' job prospects appear faint, surgeons say
Father's incredible journey through three continents to escape China's zero
Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit
Changes to tenancy laws to come into force next year