Shota Imanaga didn't exactly have a perfect day on the bump Thursday night, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings of work, concluding with a bizarre sub-60 MPH pitch, but he did everything he could to get karma running in his direction before taking the mound for a start at Wrigley.
On his way into the ballpark, Imanaga showed up with two Dunkin coffees in hand. While no one could fault a starting pitcher for needing so much caffeine on his start day, only one of the coffees was for him, the other was for Sam Bernero, a diehard fan who often takes photos of players showing up to the ballpark and shares them on social media.
Sam shared the moment on social:
OMG! OMG!! Shota Imanaga just gave me a Dunkin iced latte!!
— Sam Bernero (@sambernero) August 2, 2024
He arrived with two cups and said this one for you and handed me one.
I'm in shock!!
Made my day! What a great memory I have. pic.twitter.com/h5yeS0qewP
And others snagging pictures of players caught the handoff from afar:
Shota Imanaga bought an extra coffee for a Cubs fan photographer for being so supportive of him and the team 🥹❤️
— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2024
(via @SamBernero) pic.twitter.com/JbEP2MaMoa
Imanaga is a known Dunkin' enthusiast, showing up in virtually all of Sam's photos of him with an iced latte (seriously, see here, here, and here). He's said that he really has only left his house to either go to the field or Dunkin'. Imanaga just moved to America this season from Japan, and what better way to integrate with the culture than some DD?
He also said he gets the same latte, it's just a matter of if it's a small or medium each time. The employees were probably stunned when he got a second drink for once.
It was a small gesture that probably made this fan's week. Awesome stuff from Imanaga, and a display of how he's so quickly endeared himself to fans in Chicago.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shota Imanaga Showed Up to Work With Extra Coffee for a Diehard Fan.
