Why Shōta Imanaga is a fan's favorite pitcher 

If you love Shōta Imanaga like I do then you'll love this shirt our design team made: shop.jomboymedia.com/products/shota

I love when Jimmy does solo content on topics he’s interested in that I’d never hear about from any other sports content creator

Imanaga rules. Someone gotta teach the Cubs how to hit though

I've watched every Imanaga start this season (besides this last Pittsburgh start) and I'm a Cardinals fan. By far my favorite pitcher in the league, maybe even my favorite player period.

Love the deep dive on Shota. Something I love that he does is bow to the ump every time he throws him a ball. Not sure I’ve seen other Japanese pitchers ever do it. Also look up what he did with the fans who painted their chest and obvious shirts.

Loved this deep dive into Imanaga. He's been such a joy to watch on the Cubs.

As a cubs fan I couldn’t be more happy with the guy

Imanaga is not cocky. I think what he meant was, he is concentrating on the task at hand to succeed and a try to contribute to a win for the team, than trying to make point by making some individual records. Plus, you do not want to talk about an ongoing no-hitter to a pitcher, if you do, it might get ruined, you know, like a jinx. He did not want to talk about it as well. His comment came out of modesty, man!

Man you have to watch one of Shota's starts, hes so fun and had a lot of quirks

He was one of my favorite pitchers to watch in npb and I desperately wanted the Cardinals to sign him. Of course he went to the cubs and instantly became a Star

Shota is awesome man. I know it sounds like really narrowing it down to a niche category, but its one that includes Hideki, Ichiro, Ohtani, Masa, etc... and Shota is already my favorite of all Japanese born players

Thanks for talking about Shota. We love him in Chicago. But we hate the offense and the rest of the bullpen.

I know Imanaga can't keep up this pace all season but man is it fun to watch while it's happening. I haven't regularly gone out of my way to watch a Cubs SP since Arrieta in 2015.

I fell in love with him from his 1st press conference. He's been much better than I ever imagined he would be! Asked what surprised him most about America he thought for a second and said, That I can turn right on a red light. 🤣

I love Jimmy's three things! I'm a stats nerd and your work has helped me fall in love with baseball again, keep 'em coming!

Shōta's amazing 🤭 I remember he saved me from a burning building and helped build 2000 homes for the homeless 🤩🤭

Imanaga is a great and fun Player.

Catcher segment made my day. It’s 8:59PM. Bless you Jomboy

Before our Fantasy Draft I heard his name a few times, decided to check out some highlights from Japan. What a pitcher! When I heard the "Pitching Philosopher" nickname I immediately jumped on him: Drafted 113th overall in the 10th round (5th pick)

Love everything Shota is doing, but it feels a bit weird to call these guys who come over rookies. They’ve been playing pro ball for a while. Just like Ichiro. I don’t have a solution, but feels like they aren’t exactly rookies in the traditional sense of the word.

Shota Imanaga is probably the greatest human ever

Shota mania!

Good job, Jimmy. Us Cub fans love us some Shota. He is an awesome dude as well as an amazing pitcher. What he has been doing is really remarkable. Unfortunately, he really has not gotten much run support but he still has managed to win his games. Hope he can keep it up.

"Shō" means rising. "Ta" means "the man". So Shōta means " The man who is rising " in japanese. True!

I remember when everyone was excited about Yamamoto being signed. As a cards fan we knew it wasn't happening with us. But I read a few articles talking about the other Japanese pitcher that is going to be a pretty good pitcher, and how the cardinals should go after him for a #2 with sonny. The guys got everything going for him, look forward to seeing him in the league.

These break downs are awesome, love em!

Great episode!

Imanaga is 31 yo I really wanted him to come to our team, but he'll probably be past his prime by the time his contract with the Cubs ends...

I drafted Imanaga for my fantasy team because I believed in these NPB guys. My expectations were high but Shota exceeded them anyway. Being a Cards fan, I absolutely hate that he plays for the Cubs but he is becoming one of my favorite players anyway.

I'd love to see a deep dive into the Mariners' offensive woes. I see a lot of similarities with the Yankees' issues before this season, and since you're watching them this week in their series maybe you have some insights!

Talk about Ranger Suarez and the Phillies. Having a ridiculous year and you media people aren't talking about it. He's 9-0 with a 1.3 ERA (2nd), a WHIP of 0.79 (2nd), and 68 K's (7th). Most innings pitched, a shutout, a complete game, and so much more. Easily the Cy Young frontrunner right now. Watching him pitch is something special and feels like a throwback.

Shota rules!! If only the offense was half way competent.

Fun fact: the two kanji in Imanaga (今永) mean "now" and "eternal."

impossible not to love shota

Topic suggestion that interests me personally: How do teams do the game after they score 10+ runs? I feel like my Phillies the last 4-5 years (maybe not as much this year) always struggle offensively after having a big game the day before. Curious if other teams do this or if I'm just imagining it

It would be nice if the cubs could give him some run support. His last 4 starts they have score 5 runs total for him. He deserves the wins for what hes doing. Only 5 ER in 9 starts.

I don't know if Jimmy already has an episode about Ranger Suárez, this guy is unbelievable....if not, what the that are you waiting for Jimbo?

Can you make a video on how offenses either improve or worsen historically as the weather and conditions change over the season. E.g less wind, but more shadows. Or could do how teams do in night games as opposed to day games.

love the show! this might be more of a Stats That Exist But Don’t Matter, but i’ve always wondered whether teams with home dugouts on the 3rd baseline play better on the road at stadiums with road dugouts on the 3rd baseline versus a 1st baseline road dugout.

Bo naylor is becoming one of the best defensive catchers right before our eyes and it rules. He’s already the best framer in the league.

Yan gomes is legit. I was so mad when Cleveland traded him. But I'm happy he got himself a ring with the nats

Kind of an obvious deep dive topic but I think it would be interesting to see which teams and players are best at moving the runner to 3rd with no outs and scoring the runner from 3rd with less than 2 outs

I just wish the Cubs had a better owner.

What teams play the best/worst when key guys are hurt could be interesting but also could see how that would be a hassle to do.

Basically ERA+ is (runs a league average pitcher would have given up)/(runs the player in question gave up, or should have given up based on advanced metrics). So given the opposition he faced in the stadiums he faced them, an average pitcher would have given up 5x as many runs.

Really enjoy these he is nasty. I wish Senga was pitching this year even if he’s not as nasty as Imanaga cause he’s also a fun watch

'Shota fell in love with Zobrist' Ah, so he's just like all of us.

Cashman!!! You dropped the ball AGAIN!! Desperately trying to get Yamamoto to sign ... you didn't even give this guy a look.

Just for yourself Jimmy, go ahead and watch every comebacker that Ranger Suarez fields. It's baseball gold

Shota is a real one just for recognizing the greatness that is Ben Zobrist. Not really a star player but a hero for the cubs that year in many spots, not least of which in the world series he won MVP.

Bc he's the second best pitcher in the league behind Skubal

Shota should be in the lead for the Cy Young.

Me making a chefreacts reaction video to these would start every week with “please don’t say the coffee thing, just sip the coffee.. please. Don’t do it. Just drink it, drink the coffe Jim don’t tell us. Fuck me.

How do catchers perform against their former teammates? Does catching a guy give you an advantage against him at the plate?

Wow is Jomboy a Danette now

He made that comment that you found cocky in a humble way. I blame his interpreter for his comment sounding a little cocky and arrogant.

Imanga seems like a good example of emigrant who tries to acclimate to the culture. And the reactions from fans and players show that that attitude is highly appreciated even in the US.

Week 3 of asking for best catcher frame jobs

Foreign players that (try to) speak english are always more relatable and likeable imo

Hey Chicago What do you say??

Come for the Jimmy-lytics, stay for the Jimmy commentary on every mistake he makes.

498 ERA+ is disgusting, 5 times better than the average mlb pitcher 😂😂

Anyone think the Cubs should sign one of his Baystars teammates that will give them much more depth with starting pitching? (If you do not know who I am referring to, it is am American who is currently pitching in Mexico right now)

レッドソックスでワールドシリーズを制覇した上原浩治投手と、カブスの今永昇太投手は、共にフォーシーム・ファーストボールのスピードは、トップクラスに速いわけではない。 だが、世界最高水準の威力があり、著しく異質である。 さらに上原浩治投手は、今永昇太投手よりも、ファーストボールのスピードが遅いが、三振を奪取できる。 上原浩治投手は、SFFな球種を混ぜながら、ファーストボールをストライクゾーンに投げまくり、打者が打てなかった。 理由は、投げるボールの回転軸や、スピンレートの高さが、大きな要因だろう。 上原浩治投手は、四球も極めて少なく、同時に、奪三振も多かった。 上原浩治投手の2012年シーズンは、「K/BB」（奪三振数/与四球）の数値が、「43/3」=「14.33」であり、恐るべき数値であった。 上原投手は、2013年6月9日のエンゼルス戦で、与死球を記録したが、これがメジャー移籍後、183試合目、打者920人目にして初めての与死球であった。 34人連続アウトの球団記録も更新。 連続アウト37人は、メジャー史上10位（救援投手では2位）。 また同時に連続無失点試合は27試合。 連続無失点イニングは30回1/3連続無失点を達成した。 救援投手では、レッドソックスの球団史上初となるシーズン100奪三振に到達。 救援投手でのメジャー記録となるWHIP0.57を記録した。 今永昇太投手の場合は、リリースポイントが、地面からの距離（高さ）が低い。 さらに加えて、ボールの回転軸、スピンレートの高さ、これらの特徴の組み合わせが、今永昇太投手が三振を取れる大きな要因である。 ★ もし、よかったら、お楽しみくださいませ！ ❶ 上原浩治投手。2013年の奪三振集 　　　　　↓ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GPGYpUseArU.htmlsi=aXbElGBlCJHe3Sfe ❷ 上原浩治　メジャーで評価される理由（日本語の動画） 　　　　　↓ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jC23E54PeaM.htmlsi=3PdY6jBwW2KqI25 ❸ 【カブス・今永昇太 51奪三振】 　　　　　↓ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xNanzu_AoJ0.htmlsi=ptNY1QvnK75vN7Lf ❹【Hideo Nomo's SEVENTEEN Strikeout MASTERPIECE! Nomo dazzles the Marlins l...】 　　　　　↓ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XrIk9GmQHZE.htmlsi=G55cf698n9TEY0ia ★ 野茂英雄投手のフォーシーム・ファーストボールも、浮き上がるような軌道が特徴で、ボールの回転軸、スピンレートが特徴だったと、私は推測しています。

My favorite pitcher is the guy that the Braves need to EXTEND MAX FRIED!!!!!!!

I’m a hard person I don’t just admit someone is the best based off of a few starts. I need an entire full season a whole year for me to decide if you’re good or you’re not good just because someone had few good games that means nothing to me.

Imanaga is averaging less than 6 innings a starts HOWEVER the Cubs are 8-1 in those games so that's is plenty good enough. #ProTip Do NOT write his first name if you leave off the - above the "O". Because ***reasons!***

The Yankees suck

Shota is new to the league. Let the league adjust and let's talk in August

SHO-Time. Premium TV. What a start to 2024!