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. |
China Focus: Martial Arts Growing in Popularity Among Young ChineseInnovative TeaChina Steadily Improves People's Wellbeing over Past 5 Years: ReportChina Records 226 Mln Passenger Trips in Spring Festival HolidayChina Focus: Martial Arts Growing in Popularity Among Young ChineseBoarding Schools Ensure Fairer Education in TibetSpinning Top Competition Held to Celebrate Upcoming Int'l Women's Day in S China's GuangxiSpring Ploughing and Seedling Raising Start in SW China's GuizhouChina Names Demonstration Cities for Childcare ServicesIn pics: men's doubles quarterfinals at WTT Finals Men Doha 2023