Season ending surgery for Samurai Japan's Shota Imanaga

Season ending surgery for Samurai Japan's Shota Imanaga
06/10/2020
The left-handed starter experienced discomfort in his pitching shoulder and underwent a cleaning operation. He was 5-3 in his fifth NPB season.

Shota Imanaga, the 27-year old left-handed pitcher who started two games for champions Japan at the WBSC Premier12 2019, underwent season-ending surgery on his left shoulder.

Imanaga pitched a gem against the Mexican National Team in the Super Round of WBSC flagship event, allowing only one hit and a walk over six innings of work, while striking out eight.

Imanaga was in his fifth season as a starter for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Yokohama Bay Stars. His current record was 5-3 in nine starts. He appeared in his last game on 15 August against the Yakult Swallows. He had to leave the mound with discomfort in his right shoulder.

Imanaga has started 103 NPB games through his career and earned 41 wins. He has 605 strikeouts over 591 innings and only 201 walks.

The DeNA Bay Stars announced that surgery was completed successfully at the Yokohama City hospital and that rehabilitation will start immediately.