Chicago Cubs' Lefty Goes Viral For Hilarious Story About His New Locker Nameplate

It seems as if we all need to start referring to Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher Shota Imanaga as "Mike."

Why, you ask? Because of a hilarious story that made its way around social media on Friday afternoon.

Per Cubs' writer Andy Martinez:

Shota Imanaga’s locker in clubhouse has a new name on it: “Mike Imanaga II”

Why?

Mike is his coffee name when he orders his cup of Joe because it’s easier than Shota.

And the “II”?

“It just sounds cool.”

Shota Imanaga’s locker in #Cubs clubhouse has a new name on it: “Mike Imanaga II”

Why?

Mike is his coffee name when he orders his cup of Joe because it’s easier than Shota.

And the “II”?

“It just sounds cool.”
— Andy Martínez (@amartinez_11) June 14, 2024

That's pretty good, and you can just picture the amount of signs that will say "Mike" when Imanaga takes the mound next.

The 30-year-old is in his first season stateside after a solid career in Japan previously. He's 6-1 with a 1.96 ERA for the Cubs and is bidding for an All-Star spot in the National League. He's started 12 games, striking out 72 batters in 69.0 innings. He has a WHIP of 1.029 and is a major reason why the Cubs are still hanging around the playoff race at this point in the season.

The Cubs are back in action on Friday afternoon when they take on the division rival St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. First pitch is 2:20 p.m. ET. The Cubs are 33-36 while the Cardinals are 33-34.

Kyle Gibson gets the ball for St. Louis while Jordan Wicks pitches for Chicago. Gibson is 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA after signing with the Cardinals in the offseason. Wicks, a soft-tossing lefty, is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA.

Imanaga is next scheduled to pitch on Saturday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. ET.

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