Cubs didn't know Shota Imanaga would put up historic numbers to begin his career, but they've long had confidence his stuff, makeup would allow him to thrive in MLB

(670 The Score) Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga has taken the mound for six starts this season, and his team has won each of those games.

After throwing seven scoreless innings in the Cubs' 1-0 win against the Mets on Wednesday, Imanaga is now 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA in his six starts. He has struck out 35 hitters and walked just four, meaning he has more wins than walks issued this season. Signed out of Japan on a four-year, $53-million deal this offseason, Imanaga has been everything the Cubs could've imagined and more this season.

While the statistics are eye-popping, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins isn’t surprised to see Imanaga thriving in the big leagues.

“We felt really good about how his stuff and performance would translate over to the States and felt really good about the person too,” Hawkins said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Thursday. “That’s the kind of guy you make bets on. Now, obviously we’re one month into the season on a four-year deal, but the early returns are great and certainly the type of player, the type of worker he is gives us a lot of confidence for the future.”

Imanaga has the fourth-lowest ERA ever recorded by a pitcher in the first six starts of his MLB career and the best mark since Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela logged a 0.33 ERA in his first half-dozen starts in 1981.

The Cubs conclude their four-game series against the Mets on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. Rookie right-hander Ben Brown starts for the Cubs. The game can be heard on 670 The Score and on the Audacy app in the Chicagoland area. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m. CT.