"My highlights were last season broadcasting for the Cubs; Shota Imanaga at home” – MLB sportscaster discusses star's performances

On Tuesday, sports commentator Jon Sciambi mentioned that most of his favorite moments from the 2024 season included Shota Imanaga pitching at Wrigley Field.

The Japanese international, in what was his rookie major league season, got used to his new surroundings extraordinarily quickly. He established himself as the ace of the Chicago Cubs pitching staff in no time, finishing the season with a 15-3 record, with a 2.91 ERA and 174 strikeouts.

In conversation with Harold Reynolds and Matt Vesgarsian on the Nov. 3 episode of "Hote Stove," Sciambi had a lot of good things to say about Imanaga.

"If you ask me what my highlights were last season broadcasting for the Cubs, (it would be) Shota Imanaga at home. It was win day [for the Cubs when Imanaga pitched at Wrigley Field]. In terms of team wins with a pitcher on the mound, I'm pretty sure he was tied for the major league lead. They (Cubs) played so well when he was on the mound. He was fun, he was expressive, he was playful with the media," Sciambi said.

Sciambi talked about how Shota Imanaga successfully tinkered with his pitching style to cater to major league batters.

"Because the velocity isn't unbelievable, I think people doubted [Imanaga]. But the reality is, he came over here, they felt like his four-seam fastball would play up in the zone because it had that carry, and the splitter down. That's not how he pitched in Japan, the strike zone is smaller in terms of height over there, it is a bit wider." [0:28]

"So, he was more of an east-west guy (in terms of pitch movement to evade bats) in Japan and became a north-south guy in the north side, pun intended. He was really good, he's got one of those funky fastballs. As long as the characteristics of his fastball stay what they are, I think he's going to be a really good pitcher," Sciambi added. [0:54]

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Shota Imanaga finishes fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting

Owing to a spectacular first season, Shota Imanaga was in the running for the NL Rookie of the Year award in November, competing with Paul Skenes (Pirates), Jackson Merrill (Padres) and Jackson Chourio (Brewers). In the end, pitcher Skenes was the winner, with Imanaga finishing fourth behind Merrill and Chourio respectively.

Despite Imanaga's exploits on the mound, the Cubs missed out on a playoff berth. Cubs fans will hope that changes in the 2025 season, as the 2016 World Series winners aim to make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.