Japan’s ‘Throwing Philosopher’ eager to join MLB Cubs

CHICAGO: Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga said Friday he is confident he can handle Major League Baseball changes and challenges after signing a four-year deal worth $53 million with the Chicago Cubs.

The 30-year-old left-hander, who spent the past eight seasons with Japan’s Yokohama BayStars, donned his number 18 Cubs jersey for the first time and delivered a message in English to supporters. “Hey Chicago. What do you think? Cubs going to win today,” he said.

“I’m very happy to be here and be a Cub. I’m very excited to pitch at Wrigley Field. I’m looking forward to meeting fans and teammates. Go Cubs Go.”

Nicknamed “The Throwing Philosopher” for his studious approach to baseball, Imanaga helped Japan capture last year’s World Baseball Classic, where he said facing MLB talent inspired a desire to play in North America. “The WBC helped me think there’s more to baseball, more I can improve on and experience,” Imanaga said through a translator.

“Facing the hitters—there are players of unimaginable talent over here—gave me confidence and made me want to apply myself and face the challenge over here.”

That includes throwing every five days or so as part of the Cubs starting rotation. “It’s a novel experience for me so I want to keep an open mind and seek advice from a lot of people... figure out what works for me, give everything a try and see as we go,” Imanaga said.

“I’m by no means a finished product. There’s a lot for me to learn. I’ll study day in and day out.”

He will also face MLB’s pitch clock, forcing him to hustle his pace when on the mound. “It’s a change, but sometimes I think too much on the mound,” he said. “So, it might help my game.” Imanaga struck out a league-leading 174 batters last year in Japan with a 2.80 earned-run average over 148 innings. He also had seven strikeouts with no walks over six inning in the WBC for Japan.

Over his career with the BayStars, Imanaga had a 3.18 ERA in 1,002 2/3 innings. “He has had a fantastic career in Japan,” Cubs director of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “We’re very excited to bring Shota on board. He wants to continue to get better and that sounds like a perfect match for the Cubs.”

The Cubs had not won a World Series title since 1908 until capturing the 2016 MLB crown, but they have won only one playoff series since and have missed the post-season in four of the past five campaigns.

“I’m going to do my best to contribute to the Cubs winning the World Series,” Imanaga said.

Imanaga said he selected the Cubs after being impressed with team executives following their initial meeting. “Their strong words of encouragement really resonated with me and showed me the endless possibility of the player I could become,” Imanaga said.

“They believed in my potential to do what I do best, but at the same time I realize there’s a lot of room for me to grow and I really look forward to talking to the Cubs pitching coaches and teammates and try to reach that potential.”—AFP