CHICAGO — Shota Imanaga wasn’t disappointed when he was removed after seven hitless innings and 95 pitches.
“He didn’t really know he had a no-hitter at all, which is funny,” Chicago Cubs manager Counsell said.
Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge pitched a 12-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, the Cubs’ first no-hitter at Wrigley Field since 1972.
“It’s 100% about taking care of Shota and making sure we’re doing the right thing for him,” Counsell said. “It’s not fun to do, but when you prioritize a player’s health and you don’t know what’s going to happen next, we want him to stay healthy.”
Imanaga (12-3) threw 66 pitches for strikes, striking out seven and walking two.
A 31-year-old left-hander in his first season with the Cubs after pitching for eight seasons in Japan, Imanaga has not made an out in the eighth inning this season and has thrown 103 pitches.
He needed 25 pitches to reach the second inning. He praised catcher Miguel Amaya, who posed for a photo with three pitchers after the final out.
“Miggy studies hitters, and there were a few occasions today where there was a certain pitch I wanted to throw, Miggy had a different sign, and I just trusted him and it worked out,” Imanga said through an interpreter. “I can’t thank him enough.”
Imanaga agreed to a $53 million, four-year contract in January. Chicago paid a $9,825,000 posting fee to the Yokohama Baystars of Japan’s Central League.
“The way he works, the presence, the confidence that he shows out there, every pitch is with intent,” Amaya said. “It’s a grinder.”
Chicago’s previous no-hitter at Dodger Stadium on June 24, 2021 was by Zach Davis, Ryan Tapera, Andrew Chaffin and Craig Kimbrel. Chicago had not pitched a no-hitter at Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas against San Diego on September 2, 1972. – Pappas was one pitch away from a perfect game when Bruce Froeming called Larry Stahl for a ball on a full-count pitch. Gary Jestad then popped out.
Chicago ended its streak of 4,147 regular and postseason games without a no-hitter at Wrigley Field, the second-longest for a team in a single ballpark behind Pittsburgh, according to Optana. The Pirates never had a no-hitter in 4,773 games at Forbes Field from 1909-70.
Cubs players celebrated when shortstop Dansby Swanson threw out first baseman Michael Bush for the final out on Vanil Cruz’s grounder, but the celebrations were more muted after the individual no-hitters.
Swanson insisted on staying in the game despite the blow.
“He goes about his work the same way every day, whether he has a good outing or a bad one,” Swanson said on Imanaga. “He always wants to get better. He always does what he needs to do to go out again in five days and be able to pitch well. He’s always ready. He has his own way of doing things and doing them. Takes full pride and responsibility for that.”
The no-hitter was the fourth this season after complete-game efforts by Houston’s Ronel Blanco against Toronto on April 1, San Francisco’s Blake Snell at Cincinnati on April 2 and Dylan Seaz of San Diego on July 25 at Washington.
Nico Horner, Pete Crowe-Armstrong and Swanson each had three of Chicago’s 17 hits, with Swanson and Crowe-Armstrong both shy of a triple for the cycle.
Domingo German (0-1), who pitched a complete game against Oakland last year for the New York Yankees, allowed seven runs — six earned — and nine hits in three innings.
Seiya Suzuki hit an RBI single in the first and Chicago opened up a 4–0 lead in the second when Crowe-Armstrong had a run-scoring double and Happ hit a two-run single.
A two-run homer by Swanson and a solo shot by Crowe-Armstrong extended the lead to 7-0 in the third. Cody Bellinger hit a two-run sixth against Kyle Nichols.
Pittsburgh’s Rowdy Tellez allowed Miles Mastrobuo’s RBI single in the eighth, the first baseman’s third mound outing this season.
Trainer’s room
Pirates: OF Andrew McCutchen was late with a knee problem.
Cubs: Placed LHP Justin Steele (tendinitis in pitching elbow) and RHP Jorge Lopez (strained right groin) on 15-day IL, Steele until Sunday and Lopez until Tuesday. Reliever Hayden Wesneski, out since July 19 with a right arm injury, will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa.
Next up
Pirates: LHP Bailey Falter (6-7, 4.41 ERA) was ready to take the mound Thursday when the Pirates return home to face the Nationals.
Cubs: RHP Javier Assad (7-4, 3.21) was scheduled to start Friday in the series opener at home against the Yankees. New York RHP Lewis Gill (12-6) will come off the injured list after recovering from a lower back strain.
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