Shota Imanaga didnt know why Craig Counsell looked a little worried when he approached him after the top of the seventh inning of Wednesday night. Imanaga figured it would be a standard conversation, with Counsell congratulating him on seven brilliant innings and letting him know the bullpen would take it from there against the Pirates. Shota Imanaga largely contributed to the Cubs 18th no-hitter. Getty Images The Japanese rookie didnt realize, though, just how dominant he had been on the mound and that Pittsburgh had actually yet to record Paul Sewald Jersey a hit off him. So after I finished the seventh inning, I went seven, no earned runs, Imanaga said through an interpreter. So, Craig came to talk to me. Usually, he looks at me and tells me, Good job. But he looked a little worried, and so I was figuring out what was going on and thats when I learned. Shota Imanaga on finding out he was throwing a no-hitter and the decision to take him out after 7 no-hit innings Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) Explore More Counsell had some nerves since its not easy to pull a starter from a potential no-hitter, especially when Imanaga had only thrown 95 pitches. Yet he made that call with the future in mind, and two relievers finished the job to record the and the first since 2021 in the 12-0 win. Imanaga i sues just two walks Wednesday. AP Some fans booed when they learned of Imanagas departure, . Its always hard to do in that situation, but youre taking care of Shota, Counsell said. Its 100 percent about taking care of Shota and making sure were doing the right thing for him. Its not fun to do, but when youre prioritizing the players health and you dont know whats going to happen moving forward. We want him to stay healthy. Hes at a career-high in innings and doing a great job. He actually didnt know he had a no-hitter going at all, which is funny. [Pitching coach] Tommy [Hottovy] and I talked about it, we considered it frankly after the sixth inning, but that, for us, was the right thing to do. The three pitchers and catcher who played crucial roles in the no-hitter. AP There are some no-hitters where a pitcher is so wild (think A.J. Burnett and his nine walks) or just so ordinary (think Chris Heston versus the Mets in 2015) that the shot at history may be overlooked in the moment, but Imanga had walked only two batters while striking out seven. Another two batters reached on errors in those seven frames, which perhaps contributed to the confusion, but there is usually a buzz in the stadium as the remaining outs starts getting closer to zero. Craig Counsell congratulating Dansby Swanson during Wednesdays game. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Counsell would have been well within his right to let the 30-year-old continue since he hadnt even reached 100 pitches, but the Cubs have been cautious with the southpaw this year. Imanaga has only topped 100 pitches three times in 26 starts this season and last did so July 10. Its always hard to do in that situation its 100% about taking care of Shota and making sure were doing the right thing for him. Craig Counsell on his decision to pull Shota Imanaga after the 7th inning. Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) Managers sometimes fear deep counts adding unnece sary pitches, although the argument could be made that Imanaga could have at least started the inning since the Cubs led, 11-0. Counsell did not need to worry about whether a reliever entered with a man on base. Imanaga is now up to 153 innings with several starts left. When Craig came to talk to me, he mentioned the next outing, the outing after that, how its important to make sure youre ready, Imanaga said through a translator. And for me too, its really important for me to stay healthy for the whole season, throw all my innings, make my starts. He told me might be, its time to switch pitchers. I just trusted his judgment and I went with it. Thyago Vieira Jersey