Shōta Imanaga Named to NL All-Star Team

This was kind of a no-brainer given how well he’s pitched, but it’s still very cool to see Shōta Imanaga named to the National League All-Star team. There’s not much I can really add that you don’t already know, so here’s the media release:

Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga has been named to the National League All-Star team. Imanaga becomes the first Cubs rookie and the first Japanese-born player since Kosuke Fukudome was selected as a rookie in 2008.

Imanaga, 30, is 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA (32 ER/91.0 IP) in 16 starts this season for the Cubs. He won his first five starts, becoming the fourth pitcher in Cubs history to start a season undefeated with five or more wins in their first nine starts (Ken Holtzman, 1967, 6-0; Carlos Silve, 2010, 6-0 and Jake Arrieta, 2016, 8-0). He didn’t allow an earned run until his fourth start of the season on April 20 vs. Miami—a scoreless streak that lasted 18.1 innings pitched.

He 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) in the month. He was the first Cub to win the N.L. Rookie of the Month award since Seiya Suzuki (April 2022) and the first Cubs pitcher to do so since Kyle Hendricks (August 2014).

A native of Kitakyushu, Japan, he signed a four-year contract with the Cubs on Jan. 10, 2024. Prior to joining the Cubs, he pitched eighth seasons for the Yokohama DeNa Baystars in the Japan Central League (2016-23), going 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA 354 ER/1002.2 IP) in 165 games. He was named a NPB All-Star in 2019 and 2023. He helped Team Japan to the World Baseball Classic championship in 2023, picking up the win in the championship game in 2023.

The 2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and will air on FOX.