Shota Imanaga fell victim to unfortunate circumstances in his pursuit of a no-hitter on Wednesday.
The Chicago Cubs left-hander was exceptional against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, throwing seven no-hit innings while allowing only two walks and recording seven strikeouts. Imanaga still appeared strong late in the game, maintaining his usual low-90s velocity through the seventh inning.
However, Cubs manager Craig Counsell made the contentious call to remove Imanaga after seven innings, despite him having thrown just 95 pitches.
Shota Imanaga tonight 🙌
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 95 P, 20 Whiffs
Exits the game with a no-hitter
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) September 5, 2024
The no-hitter was ultimately preserved as Cubs reliever Nate Pearson retired the Pirates in order in the eighth inning, followed by Porter Hodge, who delivered a flawless ninth. This secured the combined no-hitter for Chicago—their second combined no-no in franchise history and the 18th no-hitter overall.
Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge throw the second combined no-hitter in @Cubs history! pic.twitter.com/CfDPNDJ3qN
— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2024
The Cubs faced widespread criticism for pulling Imanaga with such a manageable pitch count. Imanaga has been healthy all season and had surpassed 95 pitches in seven other starts this year, with three of those outings exceeding 100 pitches.
At the time, Chicago held a commanding 11-0 lead, and Imanaga would have faced the Pirates’ 8-9-1 hitters if he had returned for another inning.
While the Cubs may be attempting to preserve their $53M investment in Imanaga, especially as he’s already thrown over 150 innings this season, fans were disappointed to miss out on witnessing history. Instead, they got a combined no-hitter and the latest controversy over a no-hit bid being cut short.
