Japanese pitching star helps Cubs drench Dodgers
CHICAGO — Cody Bellinger homered against his former team, Shota Imanaga threw four shutout innings in a rain-shortened start, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1 Sunday.
Imanaga was lifted after the game resumed following a weather delay of nearly three hours. The left-hander allowed two singles, struck out three and walked none, giving him 10 scoreless innings over his first two big league starts.
The Cubs won for the sixth time in seven games. They took two of three in a weekend set that showcased four of the majors’ top Japanese players.
Shohei Ohtani doubled in Mookie Betts in the eighth to account for the Dodgers’ only run. Ohtani also hit a two-out triple in the sixth, but Freddie Freeman bounced to third for the final out of the inning.
Yency Almonte (1-0) struck out two in a scoreless inning for the victory against his former team. Daniel Palencia worked three innings for his first career save.
The Wrigley Field grounds crew worked on the mound and infield throughout the rainy, cold afternoon. The game was stopped with the Cubs leading 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
The series reunited members of Team Japan from the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Imanaga, who signed a $53 million, four-year contract with the Cubs in January, struck out Ohtani swinging in the first inning after falling behind 3-1. He also got Ohtani to foul out to third.
Ohtani, who finalized a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December, hit a two-run homer in his first career game at Wrigley on Friday.
Seiya Suzuki hit a sacrifice fly for Chicago in the second. Suzuki has 10 RBIs in his last five games.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another Japanese star who signed a $325 million, 12-year contract with Los Angeles in December, threw five scoreless innings for his first major league victory Saturday.
Michael Busch hit a bases-clearing double against his former team to put the Cubs ahead 3-0 in the first. Chicago loaded the bases on first baseman Freeman’s error, a single and a walk.