Shota Imanaga said he does not take the "honor" of being named the opening day starter for the Chicago Cubs — who will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 — lightly.
Imanaga is expected to oppose countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers in the first of a two-game series at Tokyo Dome.
"It's a great honor," Imanaga said on Wednesday through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. "I have to say, though, that the reason that the Japanese players are getting a lot of attention is because of all the players in the past that came before us who created this path for all the Japanese players. We are walking on their history. I want to say thank you to all of them, and I'm very excited."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.