Chicago - Last year, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga led fans to amaze at the Chicago opener at Wrigley Field.

The pitcher, also known as the "throwing philosopher", scored 174 strikeouts in 2024 with a 15-3 record, playing alongside the 2.91 ERA. The 31-year-old has previously played in Japan from 2016 to 2023.

In the United States, Imanaga quickly became a fan favorite, not only because of his performance, but also because of his charm, sense of humor and his long and flowing hair.

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"Are you saying my hair the best?" A smiling Imanaga told NBC News through an interpreter when asked about his free flow lock.

“My teammates, if I’m going to fuck my hair, if I’m going to comb my hair, they’ll praise me and tell me my hair is beautiful,” Imanaga said. “But my mom and my friends are like it’s time to cut their hair.”

Not only did it help Imanaga stay true to Wrigley's hair. During his rookie year, the pitcher decided on "Chelsea Dagger" for his walking song, a goal song in Chicago known as the NHL Blackhawks, with a long history that goes back to the heyday of the hockey team.

“When I first arrived at the Cubs, I thought a lot of fans were, ‘Who is this pitcher?’” Imanaga said. "So, it's really important for me to adapt to the team with the fans. It's important to choose something that all Chicago fans love."

When asked about his favorite stadium food, Imanaga countryman outfielder Seiya Suzuki adopted a similar spirit, saying he would have to go with the hot dogs, considering the team he was on.

After nine years in Japan, Suzuki joined the Cubs in 2022, and since then, he and Imanaga have played a key role in helping turn the team’s fate. After losing the season back to back, Chicago has released two wins in each of the last two years.

Suzuki and Imanaga have become global stars in the process and are an increasing part of Japan's Major League Baseball. In April, the Cubs played this season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, among three Japanese players from Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

"I watched baseball in the US when I was young, and I thought it was really cool," Suzuki said. "So if I was playing and having fans in Japan, even an extra person could watch it and they wanted to come to the US to enjoy baseball or something like that, I thought that would be great."

While both Suzuki and Imanaga push the right buttons with their home fans, Chicago's current goal is to get Imanaga back to the mound. He hasn't started the game since May 4, when he played against the winemaker due to a hamstring injury.

The Cubs put Imanaga on the most popular team of the season, with the next day on the 15-day injury list. He is currently returning in early June, strengthening his recovery through some bullpen work.

Chicago is currently the first in the NL Central.