In Chicago, Shota Imanaga, a pitcher for the Cubs, celebrated energetically on the mound, while Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya also showed excitement with a fist pump after Imanaga struck out Xander Bogaerts in the sixth inning on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

The enthusiastic response from the crowd gave Imanaga a thought. “Lately, I’ve found it difficult to wake up in the morning,” he said through his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “If I replace my alarm with the sound of fans cheering, I believe I’ll wake up pretty quickly.”

Imanaga’s latest pitching performance captivated the audience throughout the Cubs’ 3-2 win against the Padres, ending with a thrilling Michael Busch walk-off homer.

Although his impressive streak of 16 1/3 scoreless innings concluded, the rookie showcased his talent with a remarkable 1.08 ERA across his first seven starts, leaving fans in awe.

Imanaga’s near-flawless performance hit a snag in the eighth inning when Jurickson Profar hit a two-run homer off a splitter below the strike zone.

Both Imanaga and the crowd seemed stunned, but his teammates quickly rallied around him. Busch, who hit the game-winning blast in the ninth, praised Imanaga’s charisma, competitiveness, and overall presence on the team, describing him as a fantastic teammate both on and off the field.