MILWAUKEE — From the moment left-hander Shota Imanaga recited lines from “Go Cubs Go” in his introductory press conference, the team got a sense of his affability.
His sense of humor came out throughout that first year. And he became famous for his exaggerated facial expressions on the mound.
Still, Imanaga’s scholarly approach to the game, which earned him the nickname “Throwing Philosopher” in Japan, was at work. That became especially apparent midway through this season, as he came back from a strained left hamstring.
“He’s such a resilient guy,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Sun-Times recently. “He learns fast, is the best way to describe him. That’s why people understand him as this philosopher, because he can learn things and learn methods and techniques and different ways of thinking, and adapt really fast. So I think he learned more about biomechanics and pitching this year because of the injury.”
When Imanaga was set to take the mound Monday against the Brewers, he was coming off an up and down year. Even his first appearance of the postseason had its highs and lows. But he was still the Cubs’ best option in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Imanaga had been battling for consistency in his delivery for a while. Some starts, everything fell in line with his mid-week work. Others, it wasn’t quite right.
His rehab had ensured his hamstring was healthy by the time he returned in late June, a little over seven weeks post-injury. But strength and mobility are year-round projects.
“With a big muscle, obviously you have to use it while you’re pitching,” Imanaga told the Sun-Times over the weekend through Japanese interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “Right now it’s trying to get to that 100% activation. And I think I just need to continue to strengthen and work on it.”
The whole experience was unfamiliar for Imanaga. He said he’s never had a lower-body strain before. His rehab took him away from the team.
As he navigated those challenges, he followed his curiosity. And Cubs special assistant Tyler Zombro, who the Cubs hired last offseason, helped guide him through deep dives.
“He’s super thoughtful, he’s super intelligent,” Zombro said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “Shota wanted to understand, he injured his left hamstring running, but how does that then transfer to his delivery?”
While they worked together, Zombro tried to learn phrases in Japanese. Imanaga’s natural comedic timing came out again when asked to rate Zombro’s language skills.
He pursed his lips in feigned reflection.
“If it’s out of 100,” Imanaga said, “I would give him five.”
The Cubs found that as Imanaga began throwing again, he wasn’t getting as much drive off his back leg. His body may have been subconsciously trying to protect his hamstring.
That extension, however, is key to making Imanaga’s fastball play up in the strike zone.
It’s not the only factor. Velocity, release point, and other teams’ game plans also play into how effective Imanaga’s fastball is on a given day.
His style of pitching has made him prone to giving up home runs throughout his career. But when he’s at his best, they’re infrequent and limited to solo shots, so that the damage is minimal.
Home runs on his fastball, however, became a recurring theme late this season. Then in the wild-card series against the Padres, the only runs he allowed came on a hung splitter that Manny Machado blasted for a two-run homer.
“If we’re talking about feel I had pre-injury, I wouldn’t say it’s the exact same movement patterns,” Imanaga said. “And looking at it, I think we can develop a stronger movement pattern compared to pre-injury.”
That project will carry over into the offseason.
Playoff starts are all about competing, even when mechanics aren’t perfect. So, Imanaga’s focus going into Monday had much more to do with mentality and pitch sequencing.
“The first step is being really thankful for being on the roster — not everybody has the opportunity to do that,” Imanaga said over the weekend. “And just enjoying the moment and having fun with it.”
