Shota Imanaga headed off the mound at Goodyear Ballpark on Monday afternoon and was greeted by a standing ovation from the contingent of Cubs fans who made the trek to watch his outing. The next time the lefty pitches,

After Imanaga was informed that he would be the Cubs’ Opening Day starter in Japan in two weeks, he reflected on his country’s rich baseball culture and the significance of this matchup against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers. A Chicago reporter then naturally wondered about Imanaga’s history in the Tokyo Dome.