The Chicago Cubs kicked off the 2025 MLB season on March 18 in Tokyo, Japan, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitcher Shota Imanaga got the start for Chicago.
Imanaga had a strong season for Chicago last year, finishing 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 games. Returning home for this game, he was looking to put on a show in front of his hometown fans. However, the Cubs made a stunning decision during the game against the Dodgers.
Chicago Cubs Fans Furious With Shota Imanaga Getting Pulled After 4 Innings
The Cubs held a 1-0 lead after four innings, but manager Craig Counsell made the controversial decision to pull Imanaga after the fourth. At that point, he had thrown 69 pitches and hadn’t allowed a single hit.
Imanaga walked four batters and struck out two, but once he was pulled, the Dodgers took advantage. Los Angeles scored three runs in the fifth inning and went on to defeat Chicago 4-1. Many Cubs fans (and baseball fans in general) were shocked by Counsell’s decision.
Shota Imanaga is the first pitcher in baseball history to have a start of exactly 4 IP with no hits allowed in a team’s first game of the season.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) March 18, 2025
One fan said, “The regular season nugs are officially back.”
Another added, “That fryer is on EARLY this morning.”
One fan downplayed the situation, saying, “Relax, it’s not June yet. Today’s game is technically still spring training.”
Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal looked at it from both perspectives, pointing out that it is early in the season, but the game still counts and, thus, the decision didn’t make much sense.
“I know it’s March 18. I know I’m a modern, analytically minded baseball writer. But seeing Shota Imanaga leave after four hitless innings and 69 pitches in a games that counts hurts my soul,” Diamond tweeted.
I know it’s March 18. I know I’m a modern, analytically minded baseball writer. But seeing Shota Imanaga leave after four hitless innings and 69 pitches in a game that counts hurts my soul.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) March 18, 2025
The fact that Imanaga didn’t get a chance to pitch at least one more inning was frustrating for many fans. This has become a trend in MLB over the past several years — managers pulling pitchers early, even when they haven’t yet reached 100 pitches thrown.
However, Counsell had a reason for making the move. He explained, “Getting to 70 pitches was the number we had for Shōta. After he finished that inning, it was the right time to take him out.”
This is part of why bullpens get overworked year after year. Baseball managers are hesitant to let starters go deeper into games.
In hindsight, Imanaga should have at least started the fifth inning. If he had gotten into trouble and was pulled, that would have been a different story. Yet, removing a pitcher with 69 pitches and zero hits given up before the fifth inning is hard to justify.