Imanaga honored to be part of historic pitching matchup when Cubs face the Dodgers in Japan

Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, of Japan, tosses a baseball into a bucket during fielding drills at the Cubs baseball spring training facility Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, of Japan, tosses a baseball into a bucket during fielding drills at the Cubs baseball spring training facility Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)


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MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga said Wednesday he was "very honored" to receive the opening day start against the Los Angeles Dodgers when the teams meet March 18 in Tokyo. It is the first of two games between the Cubs and Dodgers in Tokyo. The Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It marks the first time two Japan-born pitchers have started against each other in a major league regular-season game in their home country. Imanaga comes off a strong rookie season in which he went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA. He struck out 174 hitters in 173 1/3 innings.

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