Shota completed his first Major League season in 2024, turning in a team-best 15-3 record alongside a 2.91 ERA en route to his first MLB National League All-Star team selection...Signed a four-year Major League contract with the Cubs on Jan. 10, 2024...Pitched eight seasons for the Yokohama DeNa Baystars in the Japan Central League (2016-23), going 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA (354 ER/1,002.2 IP) in 165 games...Participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team Japan, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (2 ER/6.0 IP) with seven strikeouts and no walks allowed in three games (one start)...Started and earned the win in the championship game vs. Team USA (1 ER/2.0 IP)...Finished his stint with Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with the highest Stuff+ rating in the tournament, ahead of teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto...In his final year with Yokohama in 2023, he led the league with a career-high 174 strikeouts...In 2022, led the Japan Central League among qualified pitchers with a 0.94 WHIP and was tied for the league-lead with two shutouts...Is a two-time NBP All-Star (2019, 2023)...Represented Japan in the 2019 exhibition games against Mexico and the 2019 WBSC Premier12...Pitched for Canberra of the Australian Baseball League during the offseason following the 2018 campaign...Made six starts, going 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA (2 ER/35.0 IP)...Struck out 57 batters, compared to one walk...Was selected by Yokohama in the first round of the 2015 NBP draft out of Komazawa University in Tokyo...Is nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher" for his studious approach to baseball and his commitment to improvement and studying his craft.
2024
Shota made 29 starts in 2024, going 15-3 with a 2.92 ERA (56 ER/173.1 IP), 174 strikeouts, a 1.02 WHIP and 9.03 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched...Finished fourth in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting...Led all MLB rookies with 173.1 IP and 174 strikeouts while tying with the Yankees' Luis Gil for the most wins (15)...His 15 wins also tied for seventh most in MLB...His 2.91 ERA ranked fifth among all qualified Major League pitchers while being the lowest by a Cubs rookie starter since Burt Hooton's 2.80 ERA in 1971 (min. 20 GS)...Ranked in the 97th percentile in the Major Leagues in walk percentage (4.0%) and in the 97th percentile in chase percentage (34.8%)...The Cubs were 23-6 in his starts...Finished the season with 29 starts and just 28 walks, marking the seventh season in Cubs history where a pitcher had at least 20 starts and finished with more starts than walks...His 6.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the third-highest in the Majors, while his 4.0% walk rate was the lowest in the Majors...Per team historian Ed Hartig, became the 11th pitcher to make his Major League debut for the Cubs in the team’s home opener, the first ever as a starter...Tallied nine strikeouts in his debut, tied with Dutch Reuther (1917) and Jordan Wicks (2023) for the second-most by a Cubs pitcher in his debut, one shy of Mark Prior (2002) and Thomas Diamond (2010)...Became the second pitcher in Major League history (since at least 1901) to toss at least 6.0 scoreless innings, with no walks and nine-plus strikeouts in their Major League debut (also Nick Kingham - April 29, 2018)...Became the first Cubs pitcher with at least 6.0 scoreless innings and nine strikeouts in his Major League debut since 1901...Became the fourth pitcher in Major League history (since at least 1901) to toss at least 6.0 scoreless innings, with two-or-fewer hits allowed, no walks and nine-plus strikeouts in their Major League debut (also Nick Kingham, Bryce Miller and Johnny Cueto)...Became the fifth Major League pitcher since 1913 to not allow an earned run in each of his first three starts (min. 12.0 IP)...Went 18.1-straight innings without allowing an earned run to begin his career, the third-longest stretch by a Cubs starting pitcher in team history, trailing Bill Lee - 19.0 IP and Larry Cheney - 27.1 IP...Per OptaSTATS, Imanaga was the second pitcher in the Major Leagues (since 1901) to have 20-plus strikeouts and a sub 1.00 ERA with a 4-0 team record in their first four career starts (also Boo Ferris - 1945)...According to Ed Hartig, is the first Cubs pitcher with more wins (five) than walks (four) to begin a season (min. five wins) since Fergie Jenkins (eight wins, seven walks) in 1971...Is the first pitcher in MLB since James Paxton (Sept. 7, 2013-April 8, 2014) to have at least five wins and no losses through their first six Major League starts and first to do so in a single season since Jered Weaver (May 27-July 8, 2006)...Is the first Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 to accomplish this feat...Is the second starting pitcher in the Major Leagues since 1901 to have at least 35 strikeouts with four or fewer walks in the first six starts of his career, joining Washington’s Joe Ross in 2015...Was named N.L. Rookie of the Month for March/April, after going 4-0 with a 0.98 ERA (3 ER/27.2 IP) during the month...Became the first Cub to win the N.L. Rookie of the Month award since Seiya Suzuki (April 2022) and first Cubs pitcher to do so since Kyle Hendricks (August 2014)...Became one of only four pitchers in Cubs franchise history to start a season undefeated (5-0) with five or more wins in their first nine starts, joining Ken Holtzman (1967, 6-0), Carlos Silva (2010, 6-0) and Jake Arrieta (2016, 8-0)...His ERA through his first nine starts (0.84) was the fourth lowest of any pitcher in MLB for their first nine starts in any season of their career, behind: Jacob deGrom (0.62, 2021), Juan Marichal (0.69, 1966) and Zack Greinke (0.82, 2009)...His 59 strikeouts are the fourth-most through the first 10 career starts for any Cubs pitcher behind Kerry Wood (1998, 94 K), Mark Prior (2002, 70 K) and Burt Hooton (1971, 60 K)...His 0.84 ERA through May 18 was the lowest of any starting pitcher (excluding openers) in MLB history (since 1913, when earned runs became a stat) through their first nine career starts...His 1.89 ERA (16 ER/76.0 IP) through 13 starts was the lowest through the first 13 starts of a career since Michael Soroka in 2018-19 (also 1.89 ERA)...Walked just 11 batters through the first 13 career starts, marking the fewest for any Cubs starter since 1901...Named to the National League All-Star team on July 7...Was the first Cubs rookie since Kris Bryant (2015) and the first Cubs Japanese-born player since Kosuke Fukudome (2008) to be named an All-Star...Tossed a perfect fourth inning in the game with a strikeout...Struck out ten-plus batters three times this season, including a career-high 11 on Sept. 16 vs. Oakland...Struck out 10 batters twice, July 21 vs. Arizona and Aug. 6 vs. Minnesota...On July 21 vs. Arizona, took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning for the second time this season (also on April 4 vs. Colorado)...On Aug. 24 in Miami, won his 10th game of the season, becoming the first Cubs rookie since Randy Wells in 2009 to accomplish the feat...Sept. 4 vs. Pittsburgh, pitched the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter, the third time this season he’s taken a no-hit bid into at least the sixth inning...Joined Ben Brown (May 28 at Milwaukee) as the two Cubs rookie starting pitchers with an outing of at least seven no-hit innings this season...On Sept. 10 at Dodger Stadium, pitched against fellow Japan native and WBC Team Japan teammate Yohinobu Yamamoto, marking the first time in Cubs history that two Japanese pitchers started against each other...Allowed three runs or fewer in seven-straight starts from Aug. 18- Sept. 22, posting a 2.20 ERA (11 ER/45.0 IP) in that span...Finished the season with a career-high six-game win streak (Aug. 24-Sept. 22).
2023
Went 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA (46 ER/148.0 IP) in 22 games (20 starts) in his final season with Yokohama...Led the Japan Central League with a career-high 174 strikeouts...Earned his second career NPB All-Star nod...Began the campaign by participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (2 ER/6.0 IP) with seven strikeouts and no walks allowed in three games (one start)...Started and earned the win in the championship game vs. Team USA (1 ER/2.0 IP).
2022
During the 2022 season, went 11-4 with a 2.26 ERA (36 ER/143.2 IP) in 21 games...The 2.26 ERA was his lowest mark in a single season in Japan...Led the NPB among qualified pitchers with a 0.94 WHIP, was tied for league-lead with two shutouts, while his 2.26 ERA ranked third...Tossed a no-hitter June 7 vs. the Nippon Ham Fighters.
2021
In 2021, pitched in 19 games, going 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA (41 ER/120.0 IP)...Struck out 110 batters, compared to 26 walks...Held opponents to a .239 average against (97-for-476).
2020
During the 2020 season, made nine starts, going 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA (19 ER/53.0 IP)...Surrendered only two home runs in 224 batters faced, posting a 0.9% home run rate, the lowest mark of his career...The two home runs allowed were tied for the fewest among pitchers in the NBP with at least 200 batters faced.
2019
In 2019, made a career-high 25 starts, posting career-bests in wins (13) and strikeouts (186), going 13-7 with a 2.91 ERA (55 ER/170.0 IP)...Led the NBP with a career-high three shutouts and finished second in both wins and strikeouts, trailing Shun Yamaguchi (15 wins, 188 strikeouts)...Was named an NBP All-Star for the first time in his career...Prior to the campaign, represented Japan in the 2019 exhibition games against Mexico and the 2019 WBSC Premier12.
2018
In 2018, went 4-11 with a 6.80 ERA (64 ER/84.2 IP) in 23 games (16 starts)...Following the season, pitched for Canberra in the Australian Baseball League, making six starts, going 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA (2 ER/35.0 IP)...Struck out 57 batters, compared to one walk...Posted a 0.42 WHIP with Canberra, becoming the only starting pitcher in ABL history with at least one start in a season to post a WHIP under 0.50.
2017
During the 2017 season, went 11-7 with a 2.98 ERA (49 ER/148.0 IP) in 24 starts...Was one of three pitchers in the NPB with at least three complete games and two shutouts.
2016
Made his professional debut in 2016 with Yokohama, going 8-9 with a 2.93 ERA (44 ER/135.1 IP) in 22 starts...Held opponents to a .200 average against (108-for-541), while posting a 7.2 hits per 9.0 IP mark, the second-lowest among NPB pitchers with at least 100.0 IP.
