Chicago Cubs pitcher Imanaga Shota recorded a no-hitter in the opening game in Tokyo and left the mound. Although he was taken out earlier than expected, he did his part as a starting pitcher in a pressurized season opener.

On the 18th, Imanaga started in the first game of the Major League Tokyo Opening Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. He threw 69 pitches over 4 innings, recording 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and no earned runs before leaving the mound. Though he pitched a no-hitter, he was quickly replaced after showing signs of struggling with his control.

On this day, Imanaga threw a four-seam fastball at a top speed of 93.8 miles per hour (151 km/h). He threw 31 four-seam fastballs, 24 splitters, 10 sweepers, 2 changeups, 1 curveball, and 1 sinker.

Imanaga signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs for up to $80 million over 5 years last year. He recorded a 15-3 record with a 2.91 ERA over 29 games, pitching 173⅓ innings and allowing 56 earned runs. He made a strong showing, finishing 5th in the Cy Young voting and 4th in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Imanaga handled the first inning easily, throwing just 9 pitches. He induced the first batter, Shohei Ohtani, to ground out to first base, then retired Tommy Edman on a fly ball to first base and struck out Teoscar Hernández on 3 pitches. He threw only 3 pitches to each of the 3 batters.

In the second inning, his control suddenly wavered. He allowed a walk to lead-off batter Will Smith after a 7-pitch battle. He also issued a walk to Max Muncy after an 8-pitch duel, putting him in a first-and-second no-out crisis. However, he got Kiké Hernández to fly out to first base, Michael Conforto to foul out to third base, and Miguel Rojas to fly out to left field, escaping the threat.

In the third inning, he regained his stability. He struck out Andy Pahés, got Shohei Ohtani to line out to second base, and retired Tommy Edman on a ground ball to third base, completing a perfect inning.

In the fourth inning, he stumbled again. He issued a walk to lead-off batter Teoscar Hernández. After getting Will Smith to pop out to second base, he allowed Max Muncy a walk, putting him in a one-out, first-and-second crisis. He got Kiké Hernández to fly out to center field, but the runner from second base advanced to third. With two outs and runners at first and third, he captured Michael Conforto on a fly ball to left field, narrowly escaping the threat.

The Cubs had the bullpen ready from the fourth inning and eventually inserted Ben Brown to replace Imanaga. They quickly activated the bullpen. However, the no-hitter maintained by the Cubs was broken after Ben Brown came in, allowing a run in the fifth inning and falling behind 3-1.

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