CINCINNATI — Shota Imanaga has big game experience.

He pitched in the Japan Series – the championship round of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in his native country in 2017. Imanaga started the championship game of the World Baseball Classic in 2023 against the United States, a contest Japan ended up winning.

But the possibility of taking the ball at Wrigley Field in the playoffs is still a mouth-watering prospect for the Cubs’ left-hander.

“That’s something I’ve been looking forward to, and I think it’s going to be a very important part in my baseball career,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry following Friday’s 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. “And I think hopefully I can use that moment to use the experience in the rest of my baseball career.”

Imanaga left Japan after the 2023 season to challenge himself, to see how he fared against baseball’s best. It was a test for a player dubbed the “Throwing Philosopher” in his home country. In his first season, he mostly passed with flying colors, but the Cubs won 83 games and failed to reach the postseason.

This year, the Cubs are guaranteed to play in October, and Imanaga looks to be a candidate to start one of the three games in a potential NL Wild Card series. For much of the year, despite injuries that have limited him to just 24 starts, he looked like a potential Game 1 starter.

But Imanaga has hit his first true road bump Stateside: he’s given up more homers this year (29, after allowing three on Friday) in 139 innings than he did last year (27 in 173.1 innings).

“Lower the amount of home runs, that’s something I’ve been trying to work on.”

Shota Imanaga allowed 3 solo home runs tonight against the Reds. pic.twitter.com/Y1izJiEJgF

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 20, 2025

“That’s a topic that I need to work on: Lower the amount of home runs,” Imanaga said. “That’s something I’ve been trying to work on, but it seems like the opposing hitters have the upper hand there. So, I think I need to continue making adjustments.”

Home runs will happen with Imanaga – he’s a flyball pitcher and occasionally, those pitches that hitters traditionally swing underneath on get barreled. That was the case on Friday. The encouraging sign with Imanaga is that he’s done a pretty good job of making sure the long balls are solo shots and not the crushing, multi-run type: he’s allowed 24 solo home runs this year.

Imanaga isn’t happy with that number, though and wants to use his next and final regular season start, before the playoffs to improve on that. That outing will be crucial to making sure his mechanics are in sync.

“Obviously, I want to pitch well for the next start and hopefully, build momentum going into, hopefully a start in the playoffs,” Imanaga said. “But I think, for now, for the next start is limiting runs.”

It starts with his delivery.

Some of his struggles this season have stemmed from inconsistencies in his mechanics. Time away with injury will do that (he was on the IL with a hamstring strain in May and June), but he has a final chance to lock things back in. And if he can’t find his footing early, it’s about pivoting and finding a way to grind through an appearance.

Because, come October, the margin for adjusting on the fly is thin.

“Obviously, when you’re doing well, there’s consistency with it,” Imanaga said. “But for me right now, it’s finding what’s working that day, and then making an adjustment there, and hopefully I make that adjustment early, because if it doesn’t, the opposition scores runs early. So, try to make that adjustment early.”