Cubs' Shota Imanaga tips cap to Michael Jordan before scoreless All-Star inning
ARLINGTON, Texas — “Be Like Mike.”
Of all the songs to run in from the bullpen to, Cubs All-Star Shota Imanaga had the gumption — and the sense of humor — to pick that one Tuesday at Globe Life Field.
Who knows? Gatorade might make an ad with the Japanese rookie someday, as it famously did with Michael Jordan in the “Be Like Mike” campaign of 1991.
Imanaga — who uses the name “Mike” with his neighborhood baristas just to simplify things — backed it up by retiring American Leaguers Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Adley Rutschman and Marcus Semien in order in the fourth inning of an eventual 5-3 loss for the National League.
“Obviously, I want to be like Mike,” Imanaga said via a translator. “However, he’s so great that I have to put in a lot of work to get there. Hopefully, once I do, the people of Chicago and the fans will accept me.”
Cubs fans have accepted him completely. It’s the team’s record they’re worried about. But on this night, it was all about Imanaga.
“I kind of felt like I was floating,” he said.
And he got to be in the house for a three-run homer swatted by countryman Shohei Ohtani, which was a thrill — mostly.
“He’s another level up,” Imanaga said of the Dodgers megastar. “He’s the [biggest] star. And so I was a little jealous.”
The AL’s victory in the 94th All-Star Game was the 22nd time in the last 27 meetings it has come out on top.
Smokin’ aces
No pitcher came in hotter — between the lines or in terms of his rising fame — than Paul Skenes. The Pirates sensation got the nod to start for the NL despite being the first player to be selected to an All-Star Game in the season after he was drafted.
What’s more amazing than that is the streak the former LSU star continued: 16 straight Midsummer Classics with a former first-round draft pick starting on the mound.
Prides of Baltimore
AL pitcher Corbin Burnes was the fifth Oriole to start an All-Star Game but the first in 44 years, a heck of a long time. Who took the mound for the O’s at Dodger Stadium that night in 1980 and delivered three scoreless innings? None other than Steve Stone, who was on his way to a Cy Young award.
“The best part was walking off the mound and seeing my parents, who were sitting a few rows behind our dugout,” Stone shared via text message. “They worked as hard as I did to help me get there, and I got to share it with them.”
That’s the good stuff.
Skip it good
The Rangers’ Bruce Bochy managed his fifth All-Star Game, the ninth man to accomplish that. The others were Casey Stengel (10 All-Star Games), Walter Alston (9), Joe McCarthy (7), Tony La Russa (6), Joe Torre (6), Sparky Anderson (5), Bobby Cox (5) and Al Lopez (5).
Robots are coming
An automated ball-strike system might be coming, and it could happen as soon as 2026. Before then, Major League Baseball hopes to test robot umpires in a limited fashion — on managerial challenges only — during 2025 spring training. In a meeting with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, commissioner Rob Manfred called the 2026 season a “viability possibility.”
Some White Sox news
The Sox signed third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel to a major-league deal, a source confirmed. Senzel, 29, a .235 hitter with 40 career home runs who played his first five seasons with the Reds, was put on unconditional waivers by the Nationals after batting .209 with seven homers. He broke his right thumb in spring training.
Contributing: Daryl Van Schouwen