Chicago – Last year, Chicago’s puppies pitcher, Shota Imanaga, captivated fans when he took the Wrigley Field mound for the first game of the Chicago House before having a stellar season: Imanaga is the first in the major.
The pitcher, also known as the “launch philosopher”, was 15-3 for puppies in 2024, accumulating 174 strikeouts to accompany an effectiveness of 2.91. The 31 -year -old had played professionally in Japan from 2016 to 2023.
In the United States, Imanaga soon became a fans favorite not only because of how well he launched, but also because of his charisma, sense of humor and his long and fluid hair.
Look “NBC Nightly News” tonight at 6:30 pm et/5: 30 pm ct.
“Are you saying that I have the best hair?” An Imanaga laugh told NBC News through a translator when asked about his free flow locks.
“My teammates, if I’m drying my hair, if I’m combing my hair, they congratulate me, telling me that I have beautiful hair,” Imanaga said. “But my mother and friends are like, it’s probably time to cut your hair.”
It is not just the hair that helped Imanaga loves Wrigley’s faithful. During his rookie year, the pitcher decided “Chelsea Dagger” as his hiking song, a more famous melody in Chicago as the goal song for the Blackhawks of the NHL, which goes back more than a decade to the apogee of the hockey team.
“When I arrived at the puppies, I think many of the fans were: ‘Who is this pitcher?'” Said Imanaga. “And so, for me, it was really important to acclimatize with the team, with fans. The important thing was to choose something that all Chicago fans love.”
The compatriot of Imanaga, the gardener Seiya Suzuki, uses a similar spirit when asked about his favorite stadium food, saying that he would have to go with hot dogs, “especially” taking into account the team for which he plays.
Suzuki joined the puppies in 2022 after a nine -year race in Japan, and he and Imanaga have played key roles to help change the team’s fortune. After the consecutive loss seasons, Chicago registered two winning records in each of the last two years.
Suzuki and Imanaga have become global stars in the process and are part of a growing Japanese presence in the major baseball leagues. In April, the puppies opened the season in Tokyo against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who present three players born in Japanese in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
“When I was younger, I saw baseball in the United States, and I thought it was really great,” said Suzuki. “Then, if I am playing and fans in Japan, even if it is an additional person to see, and wants to come to the United States to enjoy baseball or something, I think it would be great.”
While both Suzuki and Imanaga have pressed the right buttons with their local fans, Chicago’s current goal is to recover Imanaga in the mound. He has not started a game since May 4, when he left a beginning against the brewers with an injury to the hamstrings.
The puppies placed Imanaga, whose shirt is the most popular of the team this season, in the 15 -day injured list the next day. He is currently progressing towards a return to early June, increasing his rehabilitation with a bullpen job.
Chicago is currently the first in the central NL.
