Shota Imanaga Stellar Again, Cubs Hang on to Edge Mets 1-0

AP

11:25 JST, May 2, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Shota Imanaga continued the historic start to his big league career on Wednesday night, throwing seven innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 1-0 win over the New York Mets.

Imanaga (5-0), making his sixth start, allowed three hits and walked one with seven strikeouts to lower his ERA to 0.78. Entering Wednesday, the 30-year-old was the first pitcher since 1901 to go 4-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA and at least 28 strikeouts in his first five starts.

The Mets got two on against Mark Leiter Jr. in the eighth before Yency Almonte struck out Tyrone Taylor and Starling Marte. Hector Neris got his fifth save when he hit Pete Alonso with one out in the ninth and gave up a double to J.D. Martinez before getting Jeff McNeil to hit into a double play. McNeil flew out to left and Alonso was thrown out at home by Ian Happ.

Former Mets farmhand Pete Crow-Armstrong — who was dealt to Chicago for Javier Báez at the 2021 trade deadline — had a sacrifice fly in the fifth, four pitches after his bat flew out of his hands and landed in the netting above the home dugout when he missed an offering from New York starter Jose Butto. The bat was retrieved by Citi Field security immediately after the sacrifice fly that drove in Matt Mervis.

Butto (0-2) gave up four hits in six innings for the Mets, whose starting pitchers have posted a 1.33 ERA in the last four games. He struck out six.