Cubs’ Shota Imanaga and 2 relievers combine to no-hit the Pirates

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Chicago — shota imanaga He did not disappoint when he was removed after seven hitless innings and 95 pitches.

“He actually had no idea he was pitching a no-hitter, which is ridiculous,” Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Nate Pearson and newbie Porter Hodge Each pitched a perfect inning to win 12–0 Pittsburgh Pirates On Wednesday night, the Cubs had their 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’re prioritizing a player’s health and you don’t know what’s going to happen next, we want him to be healthy.”

It was a no-hitter that almost never was. Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes There were three mistakes in the game, including a throwing error on the second play of the game, which led to a 3-point error. Brian Reynolds to reach base. The play was originally ruled a hit and was later changed to an error.

Imanaga (12-3) had seven strikeouts and two walks, and threw 66 pitches for strikes.

Imanaga, a 31-year-old left-hander playing in his first season with the Cubs after bowling eight seasons in Japan, has not recorded an out in the eighth inning this season and has thrown a maximum of 103 pitches.

He needed 25 pitches in the second inning. He praised the catcher Miguel AmayaWho posed for photos with all three pitchers after the final out.

“Miggy studies batters, and there were a couple of times today when there was a certain pitch I wanted to throw, Miggy had a different signal, and I just trusted him and it worked out,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “I can’t thank him enough.”

Imanaga agreed to a four-year, $53 million contract in January. Chicago paid a posting fee of $9,825,000 to the Yokohama BayStars of Japan’s Central League.

“The way he works, his presence, his confidence, every pitch is with intention,” Amaya said. “He’s a grinder.”

With Imanaga and Hodge, it is the first combined no-hitter in MLB history in which a freshman started and finished the game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Chicago’s previous no-hitter was by Jack Davis, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chaffin And Craig Kimbrel June 24, 2021 at Dodger Stadium. Chicago hadn’t pitched a no-hitter at Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas against San Diego on Sept. 2, 1972 — Pappas was one pitch away from a perfect game when umpire Bruce Froemming called ball four on a full-count pitch to Larry Stahl. Gary Jestadt then popped out.

Chicago ended a streak of 4,147 regular and postseason games at Wrigley Field without a no-hitter, the second-longest for a team at a single ballpark after Pittsburgh, according to Opta. The Pirates never had a no-hitter in 4,773 games at Forbes Field from 1909 to 1970.

The Cubs players celebrated when the shortstop dansby swanson throw to the first baseman Michael Bush for the last out oneil cruzThe celebrations during the grounder were more muted than those after a personal no-hitter.

Swanson insisted on staying in the game despite the blow.

“He does his job the same way every day, whether he’s had a good or a bad game,” Swanson said of Imanaga. “He always wants to get better. He always does the same routine that he needs to do to be back on the field in five days and pitching well. He’s always prepared. He has his own way of doing things and he takes a lot of pride and responsibility in doing it.”

It was Houston’s fourth no-hitter of the season, following complete-game efforts. Ronel Blanco On April 1 against Toronto, San Diego’s Dylan Cease in Washington and San Francisco on July 25 Blake Snell on Aug. 2 in Cincinnati.

nico horner, Pete Crow-Armstrong And Swanson struck out three of Chicago’s 17 hits, with both Swanson and Crow-Armstrong missing triples for the cycle. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was just the sixth no-hitter in MLB history in which one team beat the other by at least 17.

Domingo German (0-1), who had a great game last year New York Yankees Against Oakland, he allowed seven runs — six of them earned — and nine hits in three innings.

Seiya Suzuki hit an RBI single in the first, and in the second Chicago took a 4–0 lead when Crow-Armstrong hit a run-scoring double and Happ hit a two-run single.

Swanson’s two-run homer and Crow-Armstrong’s solo shot in the third extended the lead to 7–0. cody bellinger hit a two-run homer in the sixth kyle nicholas,

of Pittsburgh Rowdy Tellys He allowed Miles Mastrobuoni’s RBI single in the eighth, the first baseman’s third mound outing this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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