Shota Imanaga delivered an epic one-liner after another dominant performance with Cubs
Shota Imanaga is delivering on and off the field for the Cubs.
After another stellar outing, Imanaga elicited guffaws from the Chicago media with a well-timed joke.
In talking about the thrilling end to the 6th inning where Imanaga struck out Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts to escape a jam, the Cubs southpaw described the scene at Wrigley Field.
“When I’m thinking about it, once we got to 2 strikes on Bogaerts, all the fans started cheering me on,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “It was a little different from when I faced the Rockies for the first time [at Wrigley]. It just made me very happy.”
It initially appeared as if Imanga was done but a smile crept over his face and he continued:
“Recently, it’s been hard for me to get up in the morning so if I switch the fans cheering to my alarm, I think I’ll get up pretty fast,” Imanaga said as laughter filled the media room.
[WATCH: Imanaga describes the impact of Cubs fans]
It was the perfect exclamation mark on yet another incredible outing in the midst of the unbelievable start to Imanaga’s career.
He has permitted just 5 earned runs this season — including the 2 he allowed Tuesday night — and he has as many wins (5) as walks (5) through 7 starts. He has been worth nearly 2 WAR already (1.8) and is looking like one of the best signings in all of baseball.
And along the way, he has showcased his sense of humor and given Cubs fans plenty to smile about.