In an incredible performance, the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff, led by Shota Imanaga, completed a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, marking the franchise’s 18th such achievement.

Imanaga held the Pirates hitless for the first seven innings before being substituted after 95 pitches. Nate Pearson took over for the eighth inning, and Porter Hodge closed it out in the ninth, as the Cubs cruised to a 12-0 victory at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night.

This no-hitter is the second combined one in Cubs history, following the team’s first in 2021, when Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel combined to keep the Dodgers from getting a hit.

Imanaga, a 31-year-old rookie in Major League Baseball after an extensive career in Japan, boasts a 12-3 record with a 2.99 ERA over 26 starts this season and earned an All-Star selection.

Between 1972 (with Milt Pappas) and 2008 (with Carlos Zambrano), the Cubs went without a no-hitter, but they have now achieved five in the last 16 years, including Jake Arrieta’s two in 2015 and 2016, Alec Mills’ in 2020, and the 2021 combined no-hitter. This is the first no-hitter at Wrigley Field since Pappas accomplished the feat over 50 years ago.