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. |
Patriots’ No. 3 draft pick Drake Maye wraps up first taste of NFL workouts at rookie minicampChina's foreign trade growth accelerates amid improving demandPhillies' Kyle Schwarber sits vs. Marlins because of back sorenessBuddha's birthday: When is it and how is it celebrated in different countries?Experts say gun alone doesn't justify deadly force in fatal shooting of Florida airmanEspinoza scores goRoger Corman, Hollywood mentor and 'King of the Bs,' dies at 98China's foreign exchange reserves fall to 3.2 trillion USD in AprilBrentford beats Bournemouth on Yoane Wissa's stoppageLithuania elections: Lithuanians vote as anxieties rise over Russia and Ukraine war