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TOKYO — In the largely empty Tokyo Dome, ***** Imanaga stood on the mound during the Chicago Cubs’ workout Monday afternoon to get a sense of what he will feel when he takes the mound in a much more lively atmosphere roughly 24 hours later.
During his rookie season, Imanaga would sometimes go on the mound of a new ballpark the day before a start to visualize and feel what awaited him. In this case, Imanaga, who pitched here during his eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and in the World Baseball Classic, wanted to check mound’s clay dirt and confirm it was similar, if not the same, as to what he’s become used to in the majors.
Imanaga acknowledged the nerves he’s feeling ahead of starting opening day Tuesday against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. There is no denying the pressure Imanaga will face with the marquee start.
Learning how to handle pressure is an integral part of being a successful professional athlete. Imanaga has talked to a mental skills coach a handful of times, noting through interpreter Edwin Stanberry that “personally, my mental skills aren’t that good, there are times where you feel like you want to run away.”
But Imanaga talked to teammate Justin Steele about pressure and the fellow left-hander tried to put it in perspective.
“‘In 100 years, nobody’s going to remember this,'” Imanaga said Steele told him. “But I feel like, if I do live 100 years, there is going to be somebody out there who’s going to remember this. So I feel like I’m just going to go out there and kind of think about that.”
As a kid, Imanaga fell in love with baseball because he enjoyed practicing and learning how to do something when he struggled. If there was a baseball skill he didn’t do well right away, Imanaga focused on developing that skill over time, which brought him happiness. It wasn’t until college, though, when more scouts started coming to his games that he realized he had a path to playing baseball professionally.
The work Imanaga has put in to establish himself in NPB and then make the jump to the majors — where his rookie season produced one of the best performances by a big-league starter in 2024 — has set him up for Tuesday’s international stage.
“***** has this unique way of competing and having fun and us being able to see that all at the same time, and that’s a really special trait, and it’s best for fans because you get to see his joy,” manager Craig Counsell said Monday.
“Some players, they’re competing and it’s hard to see their joy, with ***** we can see his joy.
“I think (Tuesday’s) a little harder for him so we maybe won’t see it as much because it’s important. … That’s why we do this is to have moments like that.”
Imanaga’s showdown with the expected Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani in their home country in front of a sold-out ballpark of 55,000 fans to begin the season is arguably the most compelling way the Major League Baseball season could start. Japanese reporters asked multiple questions to Imanaga during Monday’s press conference about facing Ohtani, one even wondering if the lefty already knew what he would throw to the superstar in the game’s first at-bat.
“If I said the first pitch, it’s like I’m going to go scissors in rock, paper, scissors, so I can’t say,” Imanaga said, prompting laughs. “But I probably can say the 25th pitch — I’d go with paper.”
Imanaga did not hesitate, however, when weighing where starting opening day in the Tokyo Dome against the Dodgers would rank among all his career games, putting it at the top.
“When all is said and done, when I’m done with my career, when I take off my jersey, I really want to think about this moment,” Imanaga said. “I want to do well so that memory is a good one.”
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During his rookie season, Imanaga would sometimes go on the mound of a new ballpark the day before a start to visualize and feel what awaited him. In this case, Imanaga, who pitched here during his eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and in the World Baseball Classic, wanted to check mound’s clay dirt and confirm it was similar, if not the same, as to what he’s become used to in the majors.
Imanaga acknowledged the nerves he’s feeling ahead of starting opening day Tuesday against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. There is no denying the pressure Imanaga will face with the marquee start.
Learning how to handle pressure is an integral part of being a successful professional athlete. Imanaga has talked to a mental skills coach a handful of times, noting through interpreter Edwin Stanberry that “personally, my mental skills aren’t that good, there are times where you feel like you want to run away.”
But Imanaga talked to teammate Justin Steele about pressure and the fellow left-hander tried to put it in perspective.
“‘In 100 years, nobody’s going to remember this,'” Imanaga said Steele told him. “But I feel like, if I do live 100 years, there is going to be somebody out there who’s going to remember this. So I feel like I’m just going to go out there and kind of think about that.”
As a kid, Imanaga fell in love with baseball because he enjoyed practicing and learning how to do something when he struggled. If there was a baseball skill he didn’t do well right away, Imanaga focused on developing that skill over time, which brought him happiness. It wasn’t until college, though, when more scouts started coming to his games that he realized he had a path to playing baseball professionally.
The work Imanaga has put in to establish himself in NPB and then make the jump to the majors — where his rookie season produced one of the best performances by a big-league starter in 2024 — has set him up for Tuesday’s international stage.
“***** has this unique way of competing and having fun and us being able to see that all at the same time, and that’s a really special trait, and it’s best for fans because you get to see his joy,” manager Craig Counsell said Monday.
“Some players, they’re competing and it’s hard to see their joy, with ***** we can see his joy.
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“I think (Tuesday’s) a little harder for him so we maybe won’t see it as much because it’s important. … That’s why we do this is to have moments like that.”
Imanaga’s showdown with the expected Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani in their home country in front of a sold-out ballpark of 55,000 fans to begin the season is arguably the most compelling way the Major League Baseball season could start. Japanese reporters asked multiple questions to Imanaga during Monday’s press conference about facing Ohtani, one even wondering if the lefty already knew what he would throw to the superstar in the game’s first at-bat.
“If I said the first pitch, it’s like I’m going to go scissors in rock, paper, scissors, so I can’t say,” Imanaga said, prompting laughs. “But I probably can say the 25th pitch — I’d go with paper.”
Imanaga did not hesitate, however, when weighing where starting opening day in the Tokyo Dome against the Dodgers would rank among all his career games, putting it at the top.
“When all is said and done, when I’m done with my career, when I take off my jersey, I really want to think about this moment,” Imanaga said. “I want to do well so that memory is a good one.”
Continue reading...
