Cubs pull rookie Shota Imanaga after 7 no-hit innings in combined no-hitter vs. Pirates

Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga earned an All-Star bid midway through his first MLB season.

On Wednesday, he posted arguably the strongest effort of his remarkable rookie campaign. Imanaga pitched seven no-hit innings in a 12-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But he wasn’t allowed to complete the no-hit effort. Manager Craig Counsell pulled him after seven innings and 96 pitches. Cubs relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge completed the combined effort with no-hit innings in the eighth and ninth.

For the night, Imanaga allowed no hits, no runs and two walks while striking out seven Pirates batters. He threw 66 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He lowered his season-long ERA to 2.99 and his WHIP to 1.01 in 153 1/3 innings pitched.

Imanaga got off to a remarkable start to his MLB career, striking out nine Colorado Rockies batters in six two-hit shutout innings in April. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of that game before it was broken up. By mid-May, Imanaga had a 0.84 ERA, the lowest in MLB history through a pitcher’s first nine career starts.

The effort earned him an All-Star bid in July. Now he’s added perhaps the best start of his young career in a combined no-hit effort by the Cubs.

This is a breaking story that will be updated.