Shota Imanaga was on the brink of making history, but Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell had other plans. Before you shoot your shots at him, he had solid reasons to do so! After Imanaga threw seven no-hit innings against the Pirates, he went to the dugout with no idea what he had done and what was next. All he could see was Counsell looking all worried!

The manager did praise his exceptional performance, but at the same point, decided to pull him from the game. Can you imagine—just two more innings and Imanaga could have had a no-hitter for the books! It was the ideal scenario, but the pitcher had to share the no-hitter victory with his colleagues. Even after all of this, he was seen trusting his manager’s decision. But what was Craig’s reason?

Craig Counsell shares his reason for calling Shota out

As per MLB, as soon as  Craig Counsell walked into the interview room he knew the question he was going to be bombarded with. He immediately said, “All right, let me have it.” He went on to explain that his decision was all about securing the future of both the team and the player. “Look, it’s always hard to do in that situation, it’s no fun to do but you’re prioritizing the player’s health.” And it makes sense, right? Especially if we see the Cubs’ current position; they remain only 4 1/2 games behind the Braves for the third National League Wild Card spot.

At this time, prioritizing their ace’s health seems the correct decision over records. However, at that time, fans were heartbroken, and even seen booing when Imanaga was walking out! Nate Pearson, who was called to pitch after him in the eighth, didn’t know the no-hitter situation and was amazed by the audience’s reactions. “I ran out there and started getting booed and I realized, ‘Oh, we probably have something on the line here’. I kind of just locked it in and did my part.”

Well, Nate actually did his part quite well—he got the crowd back to cheer with a smooth one-two-three eighth inning, setting things up for Porter Hodge to close out the win! The game ended with a convincing 12-0 victory over Pittsburgh. Just a thought, imagine how things might have unfolded if Imanaga had pitched those final two innings!

Shota Imanaga, is already up for an award this season?

It definitely would have been a moment to remember, as this kind of no-hitter has only happened once by the Cubs at Wrigley Field. That was like 50 years ago. Yup, you heard it right; it was done by Milt Pappas’ gem on Sept. 2, 1972, against the Padres. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old was seen all happy posing for photos in the interview room with Hodge, Pearson, and catcher Miguel Amaya. And why wouldn’t they celebrate? They just pulled off the 18th no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history!

With seven straight innings of no hits, Shota Imanaga totally stole the spotlight. It was a big deal, and the team was buzzing! On the same line, Amaya, who snagged the ball used for the final out, couldn’t have been more excited. “That ball’s going to the Hall of Fame,” he said. Whether or not the ball is going to the Hall of Fame is quite uncertain, but the 30-year-old has a chance to win one award this season.

Shota Imanaga is among the top three contenders from the National League for the Rookie of the Year award. The other two are Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill. Whom do you think will win this award? Time will tell; with fans waiting to see if the Cubs can make a push for the wild card spot. With Craig’s decision to save Shota for the rest of the season, do you think it will turn out to be the game-changer they need? Drop your opinions in the comments.