Chicago Cubs Ace Has Hilarious Reasons For Changing Name On Locker

The Chicago Cubs ace came up with a funny reason behind switching the name on his locker.

May 23, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) on the field before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs ace has not struggled to be the source of constant entertainment both on and off the field since joining the team.

Shota Imanaga made the news once again on Friday, this time for changing the name on his locker to "Mike Imanaga II" per Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports.

The Mike part of the name is what he uses when he orders coffee, as he found it easier than using his own name. As for the II added seemingly out of nowhere, he just thinks that it "sounds cool."

This may have been a joke, but it could quickly turn into a regular thing within the ballpark. Expect a fair few fans to be sporting 'Mike' signs during the next game at Wrigley.

Imanaga continues to be a source of humor on the team.

Back after his first game in New York, his biggest takeaway was that he "recognized the hotel view from Spider-Man."

As funny as he's been, his skill has still been his calling card.

Through his first 12 career starts, he has just a 1.96 ERA and 1.029 WHIP. He's first on the team in FIP and WAR. He's been very impressive since joining the team from Japan.

While Chicago may have been initially dissapointed when they ended up with the 'consolation prize' in the competition for Yoshinobu Yamamoto this past offseason, they have have ended up with a franchise cornerstone for the next few seasons.

The 30-year-old doesn't dominate with velocity, but he does have great control during at-bats and rarely walks batters.

His fastball averages just under 92 MPH but he is top-ten in vertical movement and more horizontal movement than average.

Batters are hitting just .226/.257/.332 against the southpaw.

While it's been hard to find a lot of consistency with the Cubs this season, it's become easy to expect a solid outing when he takes the mound. He's only had one very bad outing so far this season and the team has a 10-2 record in his game.

As an added bonus, you can now start to expect a fun story after the game as well.