Craig Counsell didn’t have any high expectations for Shota Imanaga in his major league debut.

“Just watching him compete,” Counsell said before Monday’s home opener at Wrigley Field.

Imanaga made sure to set the standard high.

The 30-year-old Japanese rookie dazzled in his debut, tossing 6 shutout innings and striking out 9 Rockies as the Cubs beat the Rockies 5-0. Imanaga carried a no-hit bid into the 6^th inning, but it was broken up by a 2-out single from Charlie Blackmon.

“Going out there, it was clear that this is a player who has been in big moments, I think, and he’s been through this before,” Counsell said after the game. “Again, that was kind of part of what went into all this, but he quickly just got into like, competing. And so, like we talked about earlier, using the nerves to your advantage and it can elevate your game and I thought it did that for him.”

In his first 5.2 innings in Major League Baseball, Colorado had no answer for him and his wide arsenal of pitches. Only one hitter — Kris Bryant — reached base, doing so on a liner hit at Christopher Morel at third base that was ruled an error. Imanaga wanted to deliver for the fan base and did that in his first start. 

“I was walking to the bullpen [before the game], I was getting a lot of cheers from the fans and it just showed how much passion and respect they have for the players from the fans,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “So, I just wanted to answer that and then pitch well and that’s the feeling I had when I was walking in the bullpen.”

After Blackmon’s knock, Brendan Rodgers singled to put the go-ahead run in scoring position for Nolan Jones with the Cubs and Rockies knotted in a scoreless tie. But Imanaga hunkered down and struck out Jones on a 92-mph fastball to kill the threat. Imanaga let out a yell and showed off his emotions as he walked off the mound, his day over.

“I’m not sure what I yelled,” Imanaga said. “But afterwards I said, ‘Let’s go.’ So I think I’m becoming a little bit more acclimated to the culture of the US.

“It was a unique atmosphere, especially in the last strikeout. It might have not been the best pitch, [in] regards to pitch speed, but getting the support from the fans, I was able to get that strikeout.”

Shota induced 12 whiffs on 15 splitters today 😳

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 1, 2024

From there, the Cubs’ offense made sure to back up their starter.

Ian Happ led off the bottom of the 6th inning with an opposite-field knock and advanced to second on a Seiya Suzuki single. Two batters later, Christopher Morel roped a 111-mph groundball to left field that looked like it would load the bases. But the ball squirted past Jones and to the wall, allowing Happ and Suzuki to score and Morel to advance to third. The throw back in was bobbled by Rodgers and Morel raced home for a bases-clearing, Little League home run that sent the crowd of 40,072 into a frenzy.

“I felt like a little kid,” Morel said. “It was a moment I won’t forget. It was my first home opener in Chicago and to be able to do it in front of my teammates, it was really emotional.”

The Cubs added a pair of runs in the 7^th on a Cody Bellinger 2-run single.

Imanaga’s start was a much-needed outing for the lefty. The Cubs hadn’t had a starter pitch past the 5^th inning in their opening series in Texas and the bullpen had been used pretty heavily in the first 3 games of the season. Imanaga’s quality start allowed the Cubs rest some of their key relievers — Yency Almonte pitched a scoreless 7^th and Drew Smyly covered the final 2 frames.

“I didn’t really feel pressure necessarily,” Imanaga said. “If I’m being honest, I would have liked to lower my pitch count and then go into the 7th. However, what I need to do doesn’t change. I just need to continue to go out there and pitch so just want to think about that.”