Cubs' Shota Imanaga, bullpen shine in combined no-hitter

Neither Miguel Amaya nor Nate Pearson knew why the crowd was beginning to boo as Pearson ran toward the mound for the top of the eighth Wednesday night.

Porter Hodge knew while he and Pearson were still watching the TV in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen and even turned to smile at him. But once he realized Pearson wasn’t clued in, all he could do was laugh and let superstition keep his mouth shut.

Even Shota Imanaga wasn’t aware of how much of a gem he was throwing until Cubs manager Craig Counsell took him out after the top of the seventh, 95 pitches into his night.

“I went seven [innings], no earned runs. Craig came to talk to me, and usually, he looks happy about telling me, ‘Good job,'” Imanaga said via interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “But he looked a little worried, and so I was figuring out what was going on, and that’s when I learned.”

What did he learn? That he’d just gotten the Cubs six outs away from tossing a no-hitter. Imanaga worked around a trio of errors at the third base and a pair of walks to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates off the board, but recording 21 outs without allowing a hit had his team on the verge of history.

The old-school mentality probably would’ve said to let him stay out there until either the other team gets a hit or he finishes off the no-hitter. But for Imanaga, specifically, that’s not how Counsell has operated.

With him coming over from Japan for the first time this season, Counsell has found ways to help Imanaga better acclimate to this country and this game.

He’s found spots to give him some extra time in between starts, as evidenced by Imanaga making 20 of his first 25 starts on five-plus days of rest with only five coming on the normal four days. Imanaga also hasn’t recorded an out as late as the eighth inning, and he hasn’t thrown more than 103 pitches in a game (he’s reached triple-digits only three times overall).

That’s helped him be as durable as they come. He’s the only pitcher to spend every day on the Cubs’ active roster so far this season.

“He’s the guy that’s been here start to finish so far, and that’s a great credit to him,” Counsell said. “I’m sure it’s something that he’s, up to this point, been happy with how it’s gone, and he’s done a good job with it. He’s done a really good job with it. New league, new players, new competition, new culture — Shota has seemed to answer every challenge, and he continues to. And it’s been super impressive, no question about it.”

But no-hitter on the line or not, Counsell will continue to keep Imanaga’s health in mind. He knew lifting Imanaga wouldn’t be a popular decision — he even walked into the postgame interview room and immediately quipped, “All right, let me have it” — but he stuck by it.

“It’s always hard to do in that situation,” Counsell said, “but look, you’re taking care of Shota. I mean, it’s 100 percent about taking care of Shota and making sure we’re doing the right thing for him. It’s not fun to do, but you’re prioritizing the player’s health.”

“When Craig came to talk to me, he mentioned the next outing, the outing after that, how it’s important to make sure you’re ready,” Imanaga said. “And for me, too, it’s really important for me to stay healthy for the whole season, throw my innings, make my starts. He told me, ‘It’s time to switch pitchers,’ and I just trusted his judgment and I went with it.”

With the decision made to take Imanaga out of the game, all the Cubs needed was Pearson and Hodge to lock down the no-hitter behind him.

Pearson, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline, said he realized during the boos that something must’ve been on the line, “so I just locked it in, did my part,” and he pitched a clean eighth inning. Hodge, who’s become one of Counsell’s most-trusted relievers, went into the ninth with the mentality of, “If something happens, so be it. Just attack the hitters like we always do.”

The Pirates hit three consecutive ground balls to Dansby Swanson at shortstop in that last frame. Swanson said he’d twice previously been on a team who lost a no-hitter in the ninth, so he certainly wanted to help finish the job. And on the last grounder, even thought it was the two-time Gold Glover throwing over to Michael Busch to complete the no-hitter, the nerves likely didn’t completely go away until the out was officially made.

“It was definitely cool to be a part of and realize that it finally came to an end,” Hodge said. “Just mixed emotions waiting for that ball to finally get to the first baseman for the final out, it’s just so nerve-wracking.”

“I was expecting a punchout, but he made contact, ground ball to shortstop. I said, ‘Dansby, don’t miss this,'” said Amaya, who caught all nine innings in the Cubs’ 12-0, no-hit victory and even shed some tears after the final out. “I was trying to go do the backup [of first base], but I stayed halfway — I believe in my shortstop — and just [went] straight to Porter to hug him and celebrate out there.”

Along the way, Imanaga, Pearson and Hodge made a little bit of history:

• It’s the 18th no-hitter in Cubs history.
• It’s the second combined no-hitter in franchise history, along with June 24, 2021 against the Los Angeles Dodgers — which was also, coincidentally, the Cubs’ last no-hitter.
• It’s the first no-hitter thrown by the Cubs at Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas did it on his own on Sept. 2, 1972 versus the San Diego Padres.
• According to Statmuse, the 12-run win is tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in a no-hitter.

A no-hitter is a great accomplishment, and the Cubs should absolutely celebrate it.

A baseball season is full of ups and downs. Just think, before this happened, the Cubs were coming off back-to-back home losses to the Pirates and had just placed Justin Steele (one of their top starters) and Jorge López (one of their top relievers) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday afternoon.

Every team ahead of them in the National League wild card standings also won Wednesday, and the Cubs’ playoff odds (according to FanGraphs) are down to 1.6 percent. The schedule picks up soon as well, with a visit from the New York Yankees this weekend and then a road series against the Dodgers beginning Monday. The good times might not last forever for a team whose playoff hopes shrink by the day.

So, the Cubs should enjoy this one. Yes, they’ll have to turn the page to the next game when it’s time, but it’s not every day you get to say your guys threw a no-hitter.

“It was just really, really awesome to cherish,” Swanson said. “Obviously, Shota, Nate and Porter were awesome. Miggy was unbelievable behind the plate as well, and great defense too. So, just such a cool moment, and to be able to experience it here, for the home fans to be able to experience that was really freakin’ cool.”

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