Watch: New Pitcher Quotes 'Go Cubs Go'

“Hey, Chicago,” he said.

“What do you say?” he continued. “The Cubs Gonna Win Today.”

Imanaga’s appearance comes on the heels of reports that he’s actually been in Chicago for a few weeks, flying under the radar while his agent and the team worked out his new contract.

If so, it’s clear that Chicago was where he wanted to be all along. He also made it clear he’s been paying attention to the Cubs.

He chose No. 18 for his jersey, a number that recently belonged to Ben Zobrist, who was part of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team. He told reporters he had a specific reason for choosing that number.

“I was looking through Chicago and Cubs history, I saw that was the number that Ben Zobrist wore and I wanted to be the player he was too,” Imanaga said.

His signing likely rounds out the Cubs’ starting rotation for 2024 and put an end to the frustration of Cubs fans that watched their team spend nothing in free agency.

With the Yokohama Bay Stars, Imanaga threw more than 1,000 innings and went 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA in 165 games. HE struck out 1,021 and walked just 280. He threw a no-hitter in 2022.