Shota Imanaga officially has the best beginning to a career in MLB history

The Chicago Cubs found themselves in a pitchers’ duel against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Chicago entered the game on the heels of two consecutive losses in the four-game series. After allowing nine runs on Friday, the Cubs held Pittsburgh scoreless and managed to pull off a dramatic, last-second victory. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Cody Bellinger scampered home from second base on a walk-off single from Christopher Morel. 

Morel and Bellinger’s last-second heroics were only possible due to a brilliant performance by lefty ace Shota Imanaga. Imanaga pitched seven scoreless innings against the Pirates, recording 68 strikes and 22 missed swings on 88 pitches.

Shota Imanaga lifts Cubs with historic start to his career

The 30-year-old rookie is off to a historic start to his career. Imanaga’s 0.84 ERA is the lowest through nine career starts since ERA became an official statistic in 1913, according to MLB’s Sarah Langs. Imanaga has recorded 58 strikeouts with just nine walks through 53 ⅔ innings.

The win marked the second shutout victory for the Cubs in Imanaga's nine starts. The club improved to 8-1 in Imanaga's outings.

Prior to Imanaga, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela held the lowest ERA through nine career starts with a 0.91 mark in 1981. Valenzuela is the only pitcher to win the Cy Young Award as a rookie, but Imanaga may soon join that list. 

While Major League Baseball has prioritized high velocity and spin rate, Imanaga is proving that it’s still possible for pitchers to win with finesse and technique. 

“This guy’s going to give hitting coaches nightmares,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Imanaga. “The fastball’s not 94-95 [mph], but it’s effective. He moves the ball around. The split’s real. It’s strike to ball. The execution of it is really good.”

Chicago signed Imanaga during the offseason to a four-year, $53 million contract with options that could increase the value to $80 million. At this point, the signing looks like a stroke of genius. Imanaga has the fewest walks (nine) and the third-most strikeouts (58) through nine starts for a Cubs pitcher since at least 1901.

The win helped the Cubs keep pace with the Milwaukee Brewers, who currently hold a 1.5-game lead in the National League Central.