Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto made a strong comeback after a long injury, but his fellow Japanese pitcher, Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs, earned the win in a 6-3 Cubs victory on Tuesday.
Yamamoto, pitching for the first time since mid-June due to a right-shoulder rotator cuff strain, showed excellent form. In his brief outing at Dodger Stadium, he struck out eight batters, allowing just one run on four hits without giving up a walk.
“My pitches felt as good as they have all year, including my breaking balls,” Yamamoto said. “I’m just glad I got through it without any problems.”
The right-hander displayed his skill early on, striking out the top of the Cubs’ lineup, including fellow countryman Seiya Suzuki, in both the first and third innings. He gave up his only run in the second inning, when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a two-out RBI single.
On the other side, Imanaga (13-3) allowed three solo home runs—two to Tommy Edman in the second and fourth innings, both off first-pitch fastballs, and another to Max Muncy in the fifth off a four-seam fastball. Despite that, Imanaga kept the damage limited to those three runs, giving up seven hits and no walks over seven innings while striking out four.
Imanaga left the game with the Cubs leading 6-3 after the team scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Suzuki, who went 3-for-5 with a double.
“The team turned it around, and I’m really happy with that,” Imanaga said. “I gave up two home runs to the same batter, and there was no reason to throw that fastball to Muncy. That was a mistake.”
Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter, went 0-for-3 against Imanaga. He popped up, hit into a double play, and flied out to the warning track, narrowly missing a home run.
“Luck was on my side today,” Imanaga admitted. “We play in a world where tiny differences matter, and sometimes it’s luck that determines if the ball goes over the fence or stays in play.”
Imanaga also reflected on the significance of having four Japanese stars in the same Major League Baseball game.
“It’s important that we’re competing against each other here in the United States, not just in Japan. Honestly, I wasn’t in the best form going into this game, but watching Yamamoto pitch inspired me. His performance pushed me to do better.”
Ohtani finished the game 0-for-4, narrowly missing another home run in the eighth inning. He remains at 46 home runs and 47 stolen bases for the season.
In another game, San Diego Padres’ Yu Darvish (5-3) matched Japanese Hall of Famer Hideo Nomo’s career total of 201 wins after allowing two runs on seven hits over five innings in a 7-3 win against the Seattle Mariners. Darvish has 108 Major League wins and 93 from Nippon Professional Baseball, while Nomo accumulated 123 wins in MLB and 78 in Japan.
