Shota Imanaga's apology to manager Craig Counsell will only make Cubs fans love him more

Shota Imanaga is one of the best stories in baseball. The 30-year-old Japanese rookie has had a Fernando Valenzuela-like impact for the Chicago Cubs, flummoxing opposing batters through the season's first two months with an almost anachronistic arsenal of pitches.

Shota-mania has hit Wrigley in a big way, and the lefty's hot start has been a key factor in keeping the Cubs in the NL Central race. Imanaga has been not only the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year, but with just five earned runs allowed through his first nine starts, he's the clear favorite to take home the Cy Young, as well.

On Wednesday, Imanaga proved that he actually is human after all, as the Brewers got to him for seven runs and chased him in the fifth inning of what ended up being a 10-6 Cubs loss. Despite the rough outing, it's possible that Cubs fans will love him even more after a postgame interview in which he apologized to manager Craig Counsell for being off his game.

Even in defeat, Shota Imanaga continues to impress

Seriously, who does that? Imanaga has been close to flawless this year, and on the one time that his devilish array of pitches hasn't gotten the job done, he actually apologized for it. This is the same guy who actually bows to the home plate umpire whenever he receives a new ball. This is how you become a fan favorite.

Imanaga's apology to Counsell shows the strong relationship the two new Cubs have forged in just a short time together. Counsell has demonstrated this as well, such as when he skipped Imanaga's turn in the rotation after his start against the Cardinals on Friday was rained out. Counsell called it "a proactive move," using the off day as a way to give his prized rookie some extra rest in preparation for the long season ahead.

It's fair to wonder if the extra time in between starts actually had a hand in Imanaga's tough day on the mound, but you have to credit Counsell for thinking long-term with his ace, especially given the alarming number of arm injuries around the league and the fact that Imanaga never pitched more than 170 innings during his eight years in Japan.

Other teams around the league have to be kicking themselves for overlooking Imanaga, who signed with the Cubs this offseason for what now looks like a paltry four years and $53 million.

Wednesday's loss should do nothing to take away from the budding love affair between the city of Chicago and their surprising ace, and if the humility Imanaga showed by apologizing afterward is any indication, that mutual infatuation will only continue to grow.