Cubs' Shota Imanaga Had No Idea He Was Pitching A No-Hitter Until He Was Pulled From Game

Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga was so locked in on the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night that he had no idea he hadn't given up a single hit in seven innings of work. He did notice that manager Craig Counsell looked "worried" as he approached the mound to pull him from the game, but it wasn't until moments later everything clicked.

The Cubs threw a combined no-hitter in their 12-0 win over the Pirates with Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge closing out the game with two perfect innings after Imanaga left the contest.

Speaking with the media through an interpreter after the historic win, Imanaga explained what turned into a hilarious situation.

"So after I finished the seventh inning, I went seven, no earned runs," Imanaga said through the interpreter. "So, Craig came to talk to me. Usually, he looks at me and tells me, ‘Good job.’ But he looked a little worried, and so I was figuring out what was going on and that’s when I learned."

Counsell confirmed that Imanaga didn't have a clue that he was throwing a no-no at the time. "He actually didn’t know he had a no-hitter going at all, which is funny," Counsell explained after the game.

Imanaga has already turned into a fan favorite in the Windy City given his 12-3 record and 2.99 ERA this season, but the fact that he had no idea he was seven innings deep into a no-hitter just adds another level to his cool factor.

The Japan native was yanked from the game after throwing just 95 pitches, but 100 has routinely been his cutoff point throughout the year having surpassed that clip just three times in 26 starts.

The Cubs are in the midst of a nice run having won seven of their last 10 games to get back into the conversation for a Wild Card spot in the National League. As things stand heading into Thursday's games, Chicago is 4.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race.