Imanaga is a player who played in Japanese professional baseball alone for nearly a decade, and in November last year, he tried to enter the major leagues after posting with the permission of his team, Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
His career in the Japanese professional baseball league certainly deserves the attention of Major League teams. Imana joined Yokohama in 2015 and pitched 135 ⅓ in 22 games in 2016, winning 8-9 with a 2.93 ERA, and in 2017, he pitched 148 innings in 24 games with 11 wins, 7 losses and a 2.98 ERA.
However, Imanaga, who hurt his self-esteem as he pitched only 84 ⅔ in 23 games in 2018, with 4 wins, 11 losses, and a 6.80 ERA, succeeded in his revival in 2019 when he pitched 170 innings in 25 games with 13 wins, 7 losses, and a 2.91 ERA, but he had to face another challenge in 2020 with only nine appearances in the aftermath of left shoulder surgery. Imanaga’s 2020 performance was 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 9 games and 53 innings.
Standing up again, Imanaga pitched 120 innings in 19 games in 2021, leaving 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA, while playing 143 ⅔ in 21 games in 2022 and showing excellent pitching with 11-4 losses and a 2.26 ERA. Above all, the no-hitter against the Nippon-Ham Fighters on June 7, 2022, was bound to receive a huge spotlight in that it was a milestone achieved in 52 years in the team’s history. 슬롯사이트 추천
Imana’s success continued last year. He pitched 148 innings in 22 games, seven wins, four losses and an earned run average of 2.80. The most noteworthy is the number of his strikeouts he posted in the Central League. With a total of 174 strikeouts, Imana is planning to display his true value in the big league.
Imanaga is not just a player who dominated the Japanese pro baseball arena. The decisive scene that made Major League Baseball’s eyes on Imanaga was the World Baseball Classic held in March last year. Imanaga attracted the attention of Major League Baseball clubs by spraying fastballs with speeds of up to 155 kilometers per hour on the WBC last year.
In the first round match in which Korea and Japan faced off each other, Imanaga was the most outstanding pitcher. When Japan turned the game around 4-3, Imanaga pulled out a card. As a relief pitcher, Imanaga led Korean hitters to swing and miss several times, including a fastball with a maximum speed of 96.2 miles (155 kilometers) per hour. The result was three hits, three strikeouts and one run, with no outs, in three innings. Had it not been for a solo shot hit by Park Kun-woo, I could have done a good job with no loss. Japan ended the game 13-4 with a landslide victory.
There was another moment when Imanaga shined. It was the final match between Japan and the U.S. Japan. While Imanaga was the starting pitcher, Imanaga played like an “opener” and displayed an easy pitching performance by allowing four hits and one run in two innings. If Imanaga didn’t hit Trey Turner with a solo home run in the top of the second inning, he would have been able to pitch without allowing a single goal. Imanaga got off to a good start and Japan was able to win the game 3-2 with the U.S. after a seesaw game, and thus take the honor of winning the game.
The team that captured the hearts of Imana was the Cubs. The official Major League website (MLB.com ) said, “The Cubs had a quiet winter apart from recruiting Craig Counsell, but they finally recruited Imana. Imana will be at the forefront of the starting rotation.”
The Cubs desperately needed to strengthen their starting pitchers. Kyle Hendrix, Justin Steele, and Jameson Tyson, who are currently guarding the starting pitchers, but the reality was that they had no proven resources other than them. On top of that, Marcus Stroman declared himself an FA after the end of the last season and left the team, and faced a situation in which he had to fill the void.