Imanaga’s hitless, nine‑K outing

Shota Imanaga took a no-hit bid through six innings on April 10, striking out nine Pittsburgh Pirates hitters before the Chicago Cubs lifted him at 100 pitches. (mlb.com) The start ended after six scoreless innings at Wrigley Field, with one walk and no hits allowed in a 0-0 game. Cubs manager Craig Counsell sent Caleb Thielbar to the mound for the seventh inning after Imanaga reached a century mark on his pitch count. (mlb.com) The Pirates broke up the no-hit bid immediately after the pitching change when Ryan O’Hearn singled to open the seventh, and Bryan Reynolds followed with a two-run home run. Pittsburgh won 2-0. (mlb.com) Counsell said the move was about April workload, not the no-hit chase. He told reporters there was “danger” in pushing Imanaga to a 120-pitch outing in his third start of the 2026 season. (mlb.com) Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry that the hook was “the right decision.” The Cubs treated the outing as part of a 162-game plan, even with a no-hitter still intact. (mlb.com) Chicago’s offense gave the outing no margin for error. The Cubs had six singles, drew seven walks, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and still left Wrigley Field without a run. (chicago.suntimes.com) The game also echoed a recent Cubs-Pirates script. On September 4, 2024, Imanaga threw seven no-hit innings against Pittsburgh before relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge completed a combined no-hitter, the 18th in franchise history. (mlb.com) This time, the line that spread online was six no-hit innings and nine strikeouts, not a finished no-hitter. The official box score still closed with a Cubs loss and a pitching decision the club said it would make again. (mlb.com)