Getting the nod for his second home opener in his short Cubs tenure, Shota Imanaga once again delivered a gem for the North Siders.

Imanaga tossed 7 1/3 innings of one-run baseball, allowing just four hits while fanning four as the Cubs knocked off the Padres 3-1.

Imanaga made his Cubs debut at Wrigley in 2024, when he struck out nine across six shutout innings in a 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. His 2025 start was arguably even more impressive, as he went into the eighth inning for the first time in his Cubs career. Only a Martín Maldonado solo homer in the third could slightly blemish the terrific outing for the Cubs’ ace.

When asked about his comfort level in making the home opening start for the second straight year, Imanaga credited the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

“I’m very appreciative of the fans, going out to the bullpen, hearing the roar of the crowd, it’s almost like another layer of armor,” Imanaga told the media through his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “It’s another layer of protection that I feel, so I’m very appreciative of them.”

Imanaga appeared to grow stronger throughout his outing, as three of his four strikeouts came in the sixth inning or later, including a pair of Ks to begin the seventh frame. Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, who led the team at the plate with a 2-for-4 day and two runs scored, pointed to Imanaga’s strike throwing as part of the recipe for success. 

“He was fantastic,” Happ said to the media postgame. “He just filled up the zone, he did a great job of throwing strikes and not giving them any free passes.”

Imanaga did not allow a walk in the outing and retired the last nine Padres he faced, working around a leadoff double by Jake Cronenworth to open the fifth.

Imanaga also was picked up by his defense throughout the outing, highlighted by a pair of terrific catches by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Happ in the second inning.

[More: Cubs takeaways: What we learned in Wrigley Field opener win vs. Padres]

“I thought that was fantastic defense,” Imanaga said of his teammates. “When that ball was hit, I was thinking ‘OK, this is a double, maybe more than double, so a runner on second or third, no out,’ but then all of a sudden Pete showed up and caught it, so it was a fantastic play.”

The defense was terrific all afternoon long, and Crow-Armstrong credited Imanaga’s pitching style to playing towards the 2025 Cubs’ strengths.

“I say it a lot, but Shota gives us a chance to make plays, and I think we have a really good team for that,” Crow-Armstrong told media postgame. “Shota did what Shota does, got us involved and that’s all we can ask from him.”

If the home opener is any indication for the formula for the 2025 Cubs, pitching and defense will be key, especially at Wrigley during the cold early season months when offense is at a premium. But Imanaga in year two has a chance to be even better than his terrific rookie season. And he knows what it’s like to pitch at the Friendly Confines.

“I know this ballpark very well this time of year, so just keeping that in the back of my head and continuing to pitch,” Imanaga said.