CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga delivered six spectacular no-hit innings Friday afternoon before Pittsburgh finally managed to connect against reliever Caleb Thielbar in the seventh frame.
The 32-year-old left-hander dominated the Pirates lineup, recording nine strikeouts while issuing just one walk. Imanaga threw exactly 100 pitches during his outstanding performance, with 68 finding the strike zone.
Pittsburgh’s breakthrough came when Ryan O’Hearn stepped into the batter’s box to face Thielbar, connecting on a 1-1 slider for a clean single to right field — the Pirates’ first base hit of the contest. Bryan Reynolds followed immediately with a towering blast to left field off Thielbar’s next offering, his third home run of the season, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 advantage on the cold Chicago afternoon.
The Pirates had managed just one baserunner against Imanaga prior to his departure. Oneil Cruz drew a two-out walk in the second inning, but the Cubs pitcher quickly escaped trouble by striking out rookie Konnor Griffin to end the frame.
Coming into Friday’s game, Imanaga was looking to bounce back from a rough start to the season, carrying an 0-1 record and 4.50 earned run average through his first two outings.
