TOKYO 每 The pitch being watched around the world was a fastball. Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga fired it as the Tokyo Dome crowd quieted with anticipation and Dodgers global superstar Shohei Ohtani took it for the first strike of the 2025 Major League season.
It was a historic moment on Tuesday night in Tokyo 每 the early-morning hours around the United States 每 and Imanaga proved he was up to this challenge. By the end of what had the hype of a marquee heavyweight boxing match, Ohtani rolled over a pitch and Imanaga won Round 1 in the Tokyo Series, though the Cubs eventually fell to the Dodgers, 4-1.
On the eve of his Opening Day clash against Ohtani and Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Imanaga put this night into perspective.
※When all is said and done,§ Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, ※when I＊m done with my career, when I take off my jersey, I think I really want to think about this moment. So I want to do well, so that memory can be a good one.§
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Imanaga squared off against Ohtani twice in what Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer called a ※made for TV§ matchup. After inducing the groundout in the initial battle in the first inning, the Cubs＊ lefty got Ohtani to line out sharply into the glove of a jumping Jon Berti at second base in the third.
Imanaga endured some rocky moments in his performance, but he walked off the mound after four innings with two numbers that mattered more than anything else. Chicago＊s rotation tone-setter allowed no runs and did not relinquish a single hit. He finished with two strikeouts and issued a career-high four walks.
※Shota pitched really, really well,§ Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ※No hits. There was a lot of weak contact. Kind of worked around some walks. They put good at-bats on him today. They put good at-bats on us all night and fouled off a bunch of pitches. They earned some extra pitches, but Shota managed it really, really well. I thought he pitched excellent.§
It was not until after Imanaga＊s exit that Ohtani broke through, notching Los Angeles＊ first hit of the night against Cubs righty Ben Brown as part of a three-run outburst in the fifth inning. Ohtani added a double in the ninth off reliever Ryan Brasier and crossed the plate a second time, moving Chicago closer to the loss column.
The Cubs did not lose a game started by Imanaga until May 13 last year and he was personally undefeated (5-0 with a 0.84 ERA) through May 18 (nine starts). The North Siders finished 23-6 in the left-hander＊s 29 starts and he ended with a 15-3 ledger.
The Opening Day loss was disappointing for Imanaga.
※I had two missions for this game,§ Imanaga said. ※One was to have a good game. Two was to win the game. I feel like the first mission, I accomplished. The second mission, I did not. So I think I want to take what I can from this game and bring it back to the U.S. and work on it.§
Last season 每 when Imanaga burst onto the Major League scene with an All-Star nod and a campaign that garnered National League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year votes 每 it took him six starts to issue four walks. In fact, he began that incredible rookie tour with the Cubs with zero walks issued over his first two career starts.
If Imanaga was battling nerves, it made sense given the magnitude of the moment at hand.
※You have to understand the energy that you use in an environment like this,§ Counsell said.
Imanaga was squaring off against Yamamoto in the opener. Ohtani was his first opponent. Dodgers phenom Roki Sasaki is lined up to start in the second game of this series and the Cubs have Seiya Suzuki in the heart of the lineup as well. They are all back in Japan as big leaguers with fans hanging on their every move and word.
※It＊s a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility,§ Hoyer said. ※For all the players here, it＊s a big deal. It＊s Opening Day. But for [the Japanese stars], I feel like they feel like they＊re hosting in their country, and I think that＊s probably been a little bit exhausting.§
The Cubs did not emerge with the win, but Imanaga did leave the field having bested Ohtani.
※Every at-bat, every hitter is important, especially that one,§ Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya said. ※Old teammates for Japan＊s team. Shota beat him. I feel like he was always ahead of him and executed the pitches against him.§