Imanaga fitting in -- and tossing footballs -- with Cubs teammates

PEORIA, Ariz. – Shota Imanaga saw American players tossing a football around during his years in Japan. The lefty never gave it a try until this spring, when he saw his new teammates with the Cubs doing so on the team’s agility field between workouts.

“He started throwing the football with us,” said Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay, who then cracked a smile. “And then he went to Target the next day and bought a football. He’s been so involved.”

From the moment Imanaga signed his four-year contract with the North Siders, he has tried to do his part in making his acclimation and transition process easier not only for himself, but those around him. His arrival famously began with him reciting the lines to “Go Cubs, Go” in English during his introductory press conference.

Hours of preparation went into that made-for-social-media moment that helped Imanaga immediately win over Cubs fans. Picking Ben Zobrist’s No. 18 helped, too. It was also a glimpse into his personality. Teammates have raved about how fun the pitcher has been behind the scenes, but they also speak about his dedication to his craft and his efforts to fit in.

“His opening press conference was kind of a preview of what we were going to get,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He's curious. I think that's a good way to describe him. He asks me questions, for sure. After the games that he's pitched, he's asked interesting questions. He's made adjustments really fast.”

Imanaga is currently lined up to start for the Cubs next on Tuesday, when the Cardinals arrive from Florida for a rare Spring Training clash at Sloan Park. It will be the pitcher’s first taste of one of the longest-running rivalries in sports. That would then set Imanaga up to start for the Cubs in their home opener against the Rockies on April 1 at Wrigley Field.

Through his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, Imanaga said he will be “very honored” to start the home opener for the Cubs. His goal, of course, will be to hear the fans singing “Go Cubs, Go” from the packed stands after his first “W” with the franchise.

“The fans are really respectful,” he said. “I haven't thrown an official game yet, so I want to gain the respect of the fans and make them proud.”

One way Imanaga has tried to win over his teammates has been to only use his interpreter when necessary in conversations. That has helped the pitcher pick up more English words and phrases, while impressing those around him in the process.

“I was very surprised,” Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks said. “We were [joking around with] Seiya [Suzuki] too, we were like, ‘He’s killing you in the English-speaking category.’ And Seiya just laughs. But he’s been awesome. He’s really, I think, integrated well into the team and done a great job. It’s been a lot of fun to have him around.”

Alzolay, who takes pride in being a connector of people in the Cubs’ clubhouse, said he tried to help Imanaga to feel comfortable early in camp. The reliever chatted with Imanaga about not letting any language or cultural differences serve as obstacles for building relationships.

“From Day 1,” Alzolay said, “my whole goal was, 'I need you to have your confidence. I need you to understand that you belong here, because when you're coming from another country and a different kind of baseball, it can be really hard for you to adapt. So, I want you to be involved.’

“If you see Shota, he's always around us. Now you can see his personality coming out.”

Imanaga has appreciated the assistance he has received throughout this spring.

“I just want to thank the Cubs' staff, everybody in the locker room, my teammates,” said the pitcher. “I haven't thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues yet and they've made it very comfortable for me to talk to them.”

And out on the agility field, Imanaga has developed a tighter spiral and more accuracy with his football throws.

“I've never thrown a football before,” Imanaga said. “There's a lot of players who warm up with it. It's something that I've never done, and I wanted to learn how to do it. And it's also just part of trying to acclimate to the culture. Everybody's doing it and I enjoy it.”

And, yes, Imanaga went out and bought his own ball at Target.

“There were some smaller kid-sized ones that were probably going to be easy to throw,” he said. “But I knew the regular-size ball was going to be harder. So I picked that.”