CHICAGO — In Japan, Shota Imanaga’s dedication to his craft and creativity on the mound inspired a nickname that loosely translates to “The Pitching Philosopher.”That curiosity fueled Imanaga’s spectacular rookie season with the Chicago Cubs in 2024, a debut that captivated the crowds at Wrigley Field and exceeded the organization’s wildest expectations. That self-awareness also drove his efforts to figure out what went wrong last year, when the Cubs avoided using him in the elimination game that ended their season in the National League Division Series.Still processing that disappointment, Imanaga almost immediately traveled to Florida to visit Cressey Sports Performance, a well-known training facility within the baseball industry. And so began the deep dive into Imanaga’s biomechanics, along with a series of complex contract decisions that would lead him back to the Friendly Confines, where the NL Central-leading Cubs have won their last 15 games.“I’m not the type of person to believe something that I can’t physically see,” Imanaga said through an interpreter, “but I feel like at Wrigley, there’s this, like, power that you can’t see, but you can kind of feel.”To be clear, Imanaga’s natural talent and strong work ethic have propelled him back toward an All-Star level (2.32 ERA through nine starts) at a time when some of Chicago’s best pitchers — Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Matthew Boyd — are all sidelined with injuries.The offseason video conferences and film reviews with Chicago’s pitching coaches also helped Imanaga realign his delivery, leading to the slight uptick in velocity that enhances his other pitches and keeps hitters off balance.Mystical powers don’t explain why, more than a quarter into a 162-game season, the Cubs are one of the sport’s most dominant teams. A bigger budget for baseball operations, following a 92-win season and the boost from five home playoff games, created more depth to the roster. The sense of continuity, among an experienced group of players and an established coaching staff, also matters.But something is happening here. In particular, at Wrigley Field.The Cubs have already banked two 7-0 homestands, the first time in franchise history that has happened in one season since 1880.The Cubs are the first team in major-league history to have two separate double-digit winning streaks and 15 consecutive victories at home before the end of May, according to OptaSTATS.The Cubs also set Imanaga free last offseason, declining their three-year option to lock him in at $57.75 million. Imanaga promptly declined his $15.25 player option for 2026 but ultimately wound up accepting a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer.Even the best teams need some good fortune.He will start Monday night at Wrigley Field against the Milwaukee Brewers, the division rival that eliminated the Cubs from last year’s playoffs.Imanaga believes.“With the fans and the cheering, you know the other team, they feel the pressure,” Imanaga said. “And then on the other side, when we’re up to bat or if we’re pitching, you feel that extra push and support of this power you can’t see, so I think there is something to that.”A phone call from Triple-A Iowa manager Marty Pevey roused Trent Thornton as he was about to drift off to sleep in his Des Moines hotel room. Without getting into the specific roster machinations, Pevey delivered the good news: Pack your bags, you’re going to The Show.Sometime around midnight, as the calendar flipped from May 5 to May 6, Thornton walked over to Principal Park and grabbed his belongings from the clubhouse, preparing for his flight that morning to O’Hare.The initial plan was to refresh the bullpen with Thornton, but the Cubs were forced to scramble when Boyd heard a popping sound and felt something in his left knee while crouching down to play with his children at home. Boyd then needed to undergo surgery to fix a partially torn meniscus.