Baseball romanticizes opening-day heroics, but reality doesn’t always match the script. Under the bright lights of the MLB’s Japan opener, Cubs pitcher delivered a masterclass against the mighty Dodgers—only to brush it off as anything but enjoyable. Turns out, even when you dominate, the weight of expectations can dull the thrill of victory.

Baseball already has pressure written all over it when you are the pitcher. And when the game is in your home country, it does not get any better. That is exactly what happened for Shota Imanaga as he took the field as a starting pitcher for the Cubs in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series.

Shota Imanaga was on top of the Dodgers offense on Game 1 of the opening day. But even after his stellar performance, he was not having any fun. He said, “It wasn’t fun. To be honest, I was under a lot of pressure, and I finally got a good night’s sleep yesterday, so I think I can let go today.”

The pressure on Shota Imanaga and all the Japanese players in this series is intense. Not just because it is the season opener but mainly because it is happening in their home country. Although the result didn’t go his way, he showed why he was the starter for the Cubs.

Shota Imanaga in Game 1 was an absolute force of nature. In the 4 innings he pitched, he went hitless and gave away no runs. He also had 2 strikeouts in the 69 pitches he threw. This impressed the fans, but he was taken off just after 4 innings. Craig Counsell‘s decision raised eyebrows.

Dominance on the mound doesn’t always grant control over the script. Imanaga delivered perfection but still couldn’t escape the manager’s leash—or the crushing weight of expectation. If pitching four hitless innings isn’t enough to stay in, maybe next time, he should throw a perfect game just to be safe.

Craig Counsell reveals why he took Shota Imanaga off in Game 1 for the Cubs

Baseball literally drools over a good controversy (umm… who doesn’t, right?). Well, Craig Counsell just served one on a silver platter. With Shota Imanaga dealing on the mound, fans braced for history—only to watch him get pulled in a move. Was it strategic genius or managerial overthinking?

One thing’s certain: Counsell isn’t winning any popularity contests today.

Everything was going well for the Cubs until Imanaga was taken off the field. While the fans kept wondering why, the Dodgers went off and took the game home. After the match, Counsell revealed why he took Imanaga off.

“Getting to 70 pitches was the number we had for Shota, after he finished that inning it was the right time to take him out.” Counsell mentioned that the Cubs are focusing on protecting Imanaga and ensuring his availability for a long time.

Baseball is a game of inches—and, apparently, pitch counts. Counsell’s decision may have safeguarded Imanaga’s future, but it also handed the Dodgers a golden opportunity. If this is what strategic caution looks like, Cubs fans might want to start bracing for a season of “what-ifs” instead of wins. What do you think?