NEW YORK — Ask a Chicago Cub about Shota Imanaga, and their eyes get wide.
It’s a look of awe, appreciation, affection, reverence, confusion, surprise. And also gratitude, gratitude that Imanaga pitches for their ballclub and not another. That’s because, just a month into this new season, the 30-year-old Japanese rookie has established himself as one of the most unique and dominant pitchers in the sport.
On Wednesday in Queens, Imanaga showed the best of himself once again, carving apart the New York Mets across seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked one on only 87 pitches.