The Chicago Cubs haven’t had the season many fans had hoped for, especially after getting off to a strong start and giving fans a glimpse of what they are capable of.
Despite the disappointing run they have had in 2024, the Cubs found a way to make a unique instance of MLB history on Saturday.
Opta Stats shared that in Saturday’s 14-2 beatdown over the Miami Marlins, the Cubs became the first team in MLB history to have one Japanese player record at least three extra-base hits and another Japanese player earn the win in the same game when Seiya Suzuki hit two home runs and a triple and Shota Imanaga twirled seven innings of two-run ball for the easy victory.
This is the kind of obscure stat that might never be broken and it’s not exactly something anybody will tell their kids about, but it’s a cool testament to see how far Japanese players have come.
Imanaga has been one of the best signings of the offseason and made the All-Star team as a rookie with Saturday’s win moving his stats to 10-3 on the year with a 3.08 ERA.
Suzuki has gotten more comfortable each year and is gradually turning into one of the game’s better outfielders.
The more Japanese players that come to MLB and succeed, the more it opens the door for teams to feel confident giving big contracts to overseas talent.
Shohei Ohtani is running away with the NL MVP award for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Masataka Yoshida is becoming a force in the Boston Red Sox lineup as well.
Japan’s run to winning the 2023 World Baseball Classic was no fluke.
These guys are here to stay.