Imanaga ties Cubs' single-game mark with 26(!) whiffs in 11-K gem

PHILADELPHIA -- From his position at second base on the Citizens Bank Park infield, Nico Hoerner had a great view of Shota Imanaga's pitches on Wednesday night. He was in awe of how Imanaga and Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya were carving through the Phillies’ lineup.

“It was amazing,” Hoerner said. “Him and Miggy were on the same page and just dancing together. It was really fun.”

In an 11-2 win over the Phillies, Chicago’s offense did a lot of the heavy lifting, but Imanaga’s brilliance was hardly unnoticed. One outing after spinning six no-hit innings against the Pirates, the Cubs lefty was missing bats at a record clip in another six-inning gem in Philadelphia.

Imanaga piled up 26 swings and misses, which tied Yu Darvish (Aug. 23, 2020, against the White Sox) for the Cubs’ single-game mark in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Imanaga also equaled a career best with 11 strikeouts.

It was the fourth straight outing in which Imanaga looked more and more like he did during his breakout rookie year in 2024. The result has been a heightened confidence for Imanaga right now -- especially after last year’s injury-marred performance.

“It’s a good thing right now,” Imanaga said via interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “On the mound, if I do give up a hit, I can break it down right away, see what I did wrong and make those adjustments. Same thing the other way. If I do get an out, I think about what I did well, and then continue to do that.”

In this outing, in particular, Imanaga quickly turned the page after allowing a leadoff home run to Trea Turner in the first inning. From there, only three Phillies reached base against the lefty in the next 21 plate appearances. Imanaga held sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to a combined 0-for-6 showing with five strikeouts.

“I thought he plussed and minused really good on all his pitches,” Harper said. “Sometimes the slider was hard. Sometimes the slider was soft. So, I thought he just pitched an all-around good game.”

On the season, Imanaga has turned in a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings, but three of the six earned runs he's allowed came on a three-run homer by Washington’s Joey Wiemer in the first inning of the pitcher’s season debut on March 29. Since that opening frame, Imanaga has held batters to a .127 (9-for-71) average. In his four starts, the lefty has 31 strikeouts against five walks.

Against the Phillies, Imanaga relied heavily on his four-seam fastball (34 pitches) and signature splitter (32), but he also worked in 19 sweepers, 11 sinkers and one curve, per Statcast. He generated 14 whiffs with the splitter alone.

Including Spring Training, this is already the fifth game in which Imanaga has racked up at least 17 whiffs. He previously flirted with Darvish’s mark in a Cactus League outing against the Angels on March 17, when Imanaga forced 25 swings and misses. He has reached at least 17 whiffs in three of his four starts during the regular season -- after having more than 15 only once last season.

“I think his stuff is better. I do,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said earlier this month. “And I think you’re going to see it more in the swing-and-miss than anything else.”

Asked if he saw signs during Spring Training that Imanaga could be in for a strong comeback campaign, Hoerner pointed to the improved fastball velocity. The lefty saw his velo drop to 90.8 mph in 2025 after averaging 91.7 mph in ‘24. Imanaga sat at 92 mph on Wednesday and came into the game with a 92.2 mph rate on the year.

“Every bit of life on that four-seam he has is a huge deal,” Hoerner said. “That velocity difference is a big difference, enough to where it makes guys make decisions just a little bit faster, and all of a sudden, they’re chasing the other stuff. And adding some wrinkles with the breaking ball and the sinker, and creating doubt on the four-seam.”

Imanaga was asked if he feels his stuff is working even better than in 2024, when he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

“I think every year, I’ve been leveling up,” Imanaga said. “There’s part of 2025 that I thought was better than 2024. And for me this year, it’s about trying to create a new version of myself. I think instead of trying to look in the past, just think about the future. Think about what I can do now and what I can do better.”