Baseball

MLB NOTES | Seiya Suzuki Helps Cubs Whip Pirates

Suzuki, now in his fourth MLB season, smacked a trio of extra-base hits, including a two-run homer in the seventh, in Chicago's 9-0 victory over Pittsburgh.

by
Ed Odeven
April 30, 2025

MLB — Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki smacks a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 29 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. (AP/via KYODO)

Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki made a big impact in the MLB series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, April 29.

Suzuki went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a two-run home run in the Cubs' 9-0 rout of the Pirates at PNC Park. He also scored three runs.

Entering the game, Suzuki had a .280 batting average after going 0-for-4 in Chicago's previous game (on April 27 against the Philadelphia Phillies). After his third three-hit game of the 2025 MLB season, Suzuki raised his average to .298.

Suzuki flied out to left in the first inning. He smacked a two-out double to center in the fourth and scored the game's first run on Carson Kelly's two-run blast, and the former Hiroshima Carp walked in the fifth.

With one out and one on in the seventh, Suzuki crushed a 95-mph (153-kph) fastball from Pirates reliever Hunter Stratton over the left-field fence. That made it 7-0.

"I went all out because of the batting count, and it just happened to be a homer," Suzuki was quoted as saying by Nikkan Sports.

He added, "I think I had a lot of at-bats today where I was able to wait for the counts that were easy for me to hit."

In the ninth, Suzuki slugged his second triple of the season and scored the Cubs' final run of the game.

MLB — *Cubs southpaw Shota Imanaga pitches against the Pirates on April 29. (IMAGN IMAGES/REUTERS/via KYODO)*

MLB Standout Imanaga Improves to 3-1

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga held the Pirates scoreless in five-plus innings, allowing six hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Imanaga (3-1) gave up a leadoff double to Andrew McCutchen in the sixth inning, then left the game due to leg cramps.

"After I pitched the fifth inning, I felt a little cramp in my body, and in the sixth inning, my legs were completely cramped," Imanaga said after his 87-pitch outing, according to NHK.

Imanaga added that after he departed the game he stretched his legs, and "fortunately [the pain] didn't spread to other parts of my body. So I'm here now without any problems."

In his previous start, Imanaga had a rough outing, yielding seven hits and five runs in 5⅔ innings, a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on April 22.

MLB — *Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hammers a first-inning solo homer against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium on April 29. (KYODO)*

Ohtani Belts 1st Homer as a Father

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani whacked a leadoff homer to right in the bottom of the first inning off Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantra on Tuesday. It was Ohtani's seventh homer of the season.

"I hadn't hit a home run since the baby was born, [and] I think it ended up being a good one," Ohtani was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

The Dodgers jumped out to a 7-1 lead by the end of the third en route to a 15-2 home win.

Ohtani, who announced his daughter's birth on April 19, is batting .288 with eight stolen bases and an MLB-leading 29 runs scored.

Orioles' Sugano Shines in Win Against the Yankees

Baltimore Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano held the New York Yankees scoreless in five innings on Monday, April 28. He allowed five hits and fanned eight in Baltimore's 4-3 triumph at Camden Yards.

Sugano, who's in his first MLB season, improved to 3-1.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.