BETTER THAN IT APPEARS
Imanaga yields three runs, fans five in first spring start
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga didn’t quite achieve his goal for his first spring-training start Saturday.
‘‘My goal today was to not give up a home run,’’ he said through an interpreter. ‘‘And even though it happened, it was a good learning experience to try to figure out how that could end up being a single in front of left field.’’
That lesson will be valuable in and of itself. The Cubs aren’t evaluating Imanaga (or any of their players) strictly off spring-training results, good or bad. But in a successful first Cactus League game against the Dodgers on Saturday at Camelback Ranch — and in his first start in a Cubs uniform — Imanaga’s final line was deceptive.
He allowed three runs and three hits and struck out five in 2⅓ innings.
‘‘This is really just about Shota getting his ramp-up started,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘Let’s just let him go pitch.’’
Imanaga has faced major-league hitters before, pitching for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic last spring. For the first time, however, he’s building up for an MLB season.
The scouting report on Imanaga when he signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cubs this offseason was that he was a fly-ball and strikeout pitcher with a full arsenal and a unique fastball. He would give up home runs, but he would make up for it with swing-andmiss stuff.
Like any player transitioning to a league with a different baseball and a different set of rules, Imanaga will have an adjustment period. But the Cubs saw an already-established player with plenty of potential still to unlock.
All those elements were on display in Imanaga’s appearance Saturday.
He began his start with a pitch-clock violation, but he didn’t make that mistake again.
‘‘I want to start using it to my own advantage,’’ he said.
Imanaga made quick work of the Dodgers’ first three hitters. He induced Miguel Rojas and Will Smith to fly out, then struck out seven-time All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman on an outside fastball.
‘‘That pitch I threw to Freddie Freeman to strike him out, I think it was a really good pitch,’’ Imanaga said. ‘‘I want to continue to work on throwing pitches like that.’’
In the second inning, he got Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez to put the ball on the ground. In a stroke of bad luck, however, both resulted in singles. Muncy’s grounder made it through the right side of the infield. Hernandez hit his to second baseman Nico Hoerner, who tried to throw out the lead runner, only for Muncy to beat the throw.
So what might have been a solo homer by Andy Pages turned into a three-run shot.
Imanaga threw a fastball to the inner half of the plate, but it floated to about thigh height — right where Pages could do damage on it.
‘‘I felt that the difference from Japan to the U.S. is when to throw the fastball,’’ Imanaga said. ‘‘It was an 0-1 count, and I should have thrown the fastball a little higher and I missed a little bit. So it was just a good learning experience.’’
Imanaga then struck out the next four batters, leaving the game after getting the first out of the third inning.