Cubs give fans something to dream on with Shota Imanaga combined no-hitter

Hey Cubs fans, FanGraphs currently gives the Chicago Cubs a 1.7 percent chance to make the postseason. Not great odds, but it's above zero, so there's still a chance.

Besides this small glimmer of hope, the Cubs really don't have too much to hang their hats on this year. They made a big trade for Isaac Paredes, and it hasn't really panned out well for either side.

But a recent 12-0 shutout win against the division rival, Pittsburgh Pirates might have been the best played game by the Cubs all season.

Hint: Shota Imanaga, Porter Hodge and Nate Pearson combined to do something pretty cool.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Cubs fans get something to cheer about after three pitchers combine to no-hit Pirates

Shota Imanaga got the start for the Cubs on September 4 and before the game, nobody knew that he was going to make history this day.

Imanaga would lose his perfect game on the second batter of the game (womp womp) when Paredes made an error. The Cubs lefty got out of the inning with a double play two pitches later.

He walked two batters in the second inning before retiring 11 Pirates hitters in a row. Two more Paredes errors (yes, that's three on the night) would provide Pirates base runners in the sixth, but there was still a big, ol' donut in the hit column.

A 1-2-3 seventh inning would be the last inning for Imanaga, as his outing would end after 95 pitches and seven no-hit innings.

The Cubs would go to Nate Pearson in the eighth. He put down the Pirates in order in just 10 pitches.

Rookie Porter Hodge got the ninth and he would induce three consecutive groundouts to shortstop to finish off the no-hitter.

This would be the 18th no-hitter and the second combined no hitter in the franchise's illustrious history that has spanned well over a century.

Isaac Paredes did his best to try to give the Pirates as many outs to work with as possible.

Side note, Imanaga would have had a much better chance to finish the no hitter if Paredes hadn't made those errors. Those three errors forced Imanaga to throw about 10 extra pitches. Odds are, Imanaga would have gotten the eighth inning if he was at 85 pitches instead of 95 pitches. If he gets through eight no-hit innings, no matter the pitch count, he would have likely gotten the ninth.

Just a hypothetical, but to some degree, Paredes really hurt Imanaga's chances of getting a solo no-hitter tonight.

While we're talking hypotheticals, there's a chance that Imanaga would have surrendered a hit if he were out there instead of Pearson or Hodge. I guess we'll never know.