Japanese stars Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga helped the Chicago Cubs make MLB history Saturday while also doing something Shohei Ohtani has never managed to do in one of his two-way starts. In a 14-2 win over the hapless Miami Marlins, Suzuki recorded two home runs and a triple as Imanaga earned the win, making the Cubs the first team in MLB history to ever have one Japanese-born player record three extra-base hits in the same game another Japanese-born player earned a win, according to OptaSTATS.
Suzuki went 3-for-5 at the plate and knocked in four runs as part of Chicago's offensive barrage. The two dingers give him 18 on the season to go along with a slash line of .271/.344/.486. His .831 OPS leads the Cubs among qualified players.
Meanwhile, Imanaga tossed 7.0 innings of two-run ball to notch his 10th win of the season. The All-Star lefty has been a revelation after signing with Chicago this past offseason, going 10-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 24 starts. The 30-year-old was especially dominant to start the year, holding a 0.84 ERA after nine starts and a 1.89 ERA through mid-June. A 10-run disaster in 3.0 innings against the New York Mets in late June is the only reason his ERA is above 3.00.
Even though Ohtani has made plenty of history in his MLB career and is having an MVP-caliber campaign in 2024, he has never managed to record three extra-base hits and record a pitching victory in the same game. That's somewhat surprising given his prowess both at the dish and on the mound, and we'll see if he can ever pull off this feat as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's not expected to pitch this season, but he's taking strides toward returning to the mound at some point.
Cubs trying to make playoff push
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While Ohtani's Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and just about a lock to make the playoffs, the Cubs are trying to make a push into a Wild Card spot. Chicago is finally back to .500 with Saturday's win over Miami, but they're still 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third NL Wild Card. The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants are also ahead of Chicago in the standings.
The Cubs are going through a soft portion of their schedule and have a three-game winning streak on the line as they try to sweep the Marlins on Sunday. It's going to take more dominance from Suzuki and Imanaga to have a chance to make the playoffs, though even that might not be enough given the ground they have to make up.
