Cubs didn't need Shota Imanaga to start Sunday — he already had proved his ability in standout rookie season

As left-hander Shota Imanaga crossed Waveland Avenue, from the Cubs players’ parking lot to the team offices, the dozen or so fans gathered in the Sunday morning drizzle cheered and called his name.

It was a departure from last offseason, when Imanaga wandered Chicago anonymously as he pondered his free-agency decision.

With his season over — the Cubs determined earlier this weekend that they had enough pitching to cover the final two games without Imanaga starting Sunday — all he had to do to wrap up a notable first year in Major League Baseball was soak in one last game at Wrigley Field.

“I’ve experienced what 162 games is like and how much fatigue there is,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry, when asked about his approach to the offseason. “Next year I know how it is going in. In the offseason, just making sure my body is feeling good, my elbow, my shoulder — there haven’t been any issues — but making sure that stays healthy, adding a little muscle.”

His durability this year, his first experiencing MLB’s long season and grueling travel, turned a hot start into a standout season. Though Imanaga isn’t the favorite to win National League Cy Young or Rookie of the Year, he’s a candidate for down-ballot votes for both.

“If you were to ask anyone in spring training what your hopes were for Shota, it would be like, be a stable, solid, middle of the rotation [arm],” rotation-mate Jameson Taillon said. “He’s probably one of the best pitchers in all of baseball this season. On top of that, he’s been a great personality, super fun to get to know, one of those guys that you really look forward to seeing every single day at the field.”

In a disappointing season for the Cubs, who were eliminated from postseason contention more than a week ago and finished 83-79, Imanaga’s performance was a silver lining. More importantly, as the Cubs put together an offseason plan that is expected to target pitching, he has elevated the rotation’s foundation.

He entered Sunday with the fifth-best ERA (2.91) among qualified pitchers. One of Imanaga’s main goals was to keep his walks down and strikeouts up. He achieved that with 1.45 walks per nine innings, the fourth-best mark among qualified pitchers, and 9.03 strikeouts per nine.

“The record we have in games he started [23-6] is a crazy stat,” Taillon said. “When he’s out there every fifth day, we have a really, really good chance to win the game. Then he’s gone above and beyond and won a lot of games himself.”

Imanaga made the transition from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB look easy, posting the lowest ERA (0.84) for a pitcher, excluding openers, in the first nine starts of a career since 1913.

“Having gone overseas and played, it’s a difficult transition,” said outfielder Mike Tauchman, who spent the 2022 season in the Korean Baseball Organization. “On one hand, it’s still the same baseball, but there really are a lot of differences.”

Tauchman joined a chorus of Cubs voices commending Imanaga for his efforts to connect with his new teammates right away, finding a way to sidestep the language barrier.

“That’s all really appreciated by us, obviously,” Tauchman said. “And most guys would probably agree, the more comfortable you are somewhere, you’re able to be loose and kind of find the best version of yourself.”

Then there were the on-field adjustments.

“The focal point for each country is a little different,” Imanaga said. “Just getting adjusted to that, learning that my strengths play, and adjusting to everything especially with the strike zone, It was a good year to learn about that.”

Because of some of the differences between the leagues — including the strike zone, ball, and opposing hitter’s approaches — the Cubs had Imanaga focus on his four-seam fastball and splitter.

“I go back to just his ability to take seven pitches when he came over and really focus and condense those down to, these are the two things I do really well,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “That is not an easy thing to do.”

Making minor adjustments along the way, Imanaga managed to stay ahead of the league and arguably finish as well as he started. He threw seven innings in four of his last six starts — and got through six innings in the other two. He didn’t allow more than three runs in those appearances.

“It’s like he’s been in the big leagues for 10 years already,” veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said.