As the Chicago Cubs prepare for a critical road series against the Boston Red Sox, their star rookie enters the weekend on quite the career-opening tear.
Left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga is set to take the mound for the fifth time this season on Friday. Through four MLB starts, he is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA, 0.750 WHIP, 21 strikeouts and a 0.9 WAR.
The Cubs are a perfect 4-0 when the 30-year-old Japanese southpaw makes an appearance.
Per OptaSTATS, Imanaga is one of two players with a 4-0 team record, 20-plus strikeouts and a sub-1.00 ERA through their first four career MLB games, since earned runs became official in 1913. Boo Ferriss was the last to achieve the feat, doing so with the Red Sox in 1945.
Ferris was an All-Star that year, and he finished fourth in AL MVP voting at the end of the season.
Since earned runs became official in 1913, the only players to have a 4-0 team record, 20+ K & a sub-1.00 ERA through their 1st four career MLB games are Boo Ferriss in 1945 (22, 0.50) and the @Cubs' Shota Imanaga this season (21, 0.84). pic.twitter.com/J8MyRfwpMg
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 26, 2024
The Cubs actually beat the Red Sox in the Imanaga sweepstakes this winter, inking the lefty to a four-year, $53 million contract in early January.
Imanaga spent the previous eight seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. Imanaga also started the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game against Team USA, picking up the win for Team Japan after tossing 2.0 innings and allowing one earned run.
In 24 appearances for the BayStars last season, Imanaga went 7-5 with a 2.66 ERA, 1.019 WHIP and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Imanaga went 74-55 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.076 WHIP and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings over the course of his eight years in NPB.
It appears as if Imanaga has been able to translate that production stateside, and he will have a chance to continue his hot streak Friday night at Fenway Park. First pitch between the Cubs and Red Sox is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Imanaga will be facing off against right-hander Kutter Crawford, who is 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA and 30 strikeouts on the season.
