When Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga took the mound in 2024, it was basically win day.

Thanks to Dansby Swanson’s heroics in the ninth inning, it stayed that way. Swanson pulled off an incredible play to pick up the final out as the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 in the penultimate contest of a four-game set at Chase Field.

Here are three observations from the win:

Wild, wild finish

Ryan Pressly might be buying Danbsy Swanson dinner, drinks or some new cowboy boots in the near future.

With a one-run lead, two runners on and two outs in the ninth inning, Corbin Carroll hit a grounder to Swanson at short, one that left Swanson with no play to nab the speedster at first. The grounder took a weird path – Swanson and third baseman Matt Shaw charged at the ball.

But when Swanson fielded it, he pumped as if to throw to first and Garrett Hampson rounded third. The Gold Glove shortstop saw that charged to third and tagged Hampson as he dove back to third for the final out ensuring Pressly’s first save with his new team.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell turned to Pressly in the team’s first save opportunity of the season. He had 112 career saves entering 2025 showing the veteran moxie needed in the high-pressure role.

The first test was a pass – but it was far from a walk in the park. Clinging to a 4-1 lead, Pressly allowed a leadoff single and then a two-run home run to Eugenio Suárez, who continues to be a pain in the side for the Cubs this series.

Pressly was acquired in the offseason from the Houston Astros after he had been demoted from the closer role in favor of Josh Hader. His velocity had dropped last season, and he struggled in a setup role.

That led to questions about him being the closer for the Cubs. They’ll continue after his first save, but his track record speaks for itself and he’ll still be in that role moving forward. But the Cubs and their fans will want to watch his outings, especially after blowing 17 saves in the first 81 games last year which hurt them in their playoff chase.

Sho-Time is back

Imanaga was at his best in his first start stateside, after an up-and-down outing on Opening Day in the Tokyo Series. Imanaga allowed one run on three hits in seven innings of work. Last year, whenever the 30-year-old took the mound, the Cubs felt pretty good about their chances at picking up a win. They were 23-6 in his starts last season.

Saturday, he proved he can still be that caliber of pitcher. There were questions this spring about how he would adjust to the league’s adjustments to him. It’s that cat-and-mouse game that Counsell constantly preaches.

In 2024, Imanaga primarily relied on his fastball-splitter mix and the queries were whether the “Throwing Philospher” – as he was known in Japan – would have to change that in 2025. Against a potent Diamondbacks lineup, Imanaga threw 53-percent four-seam fastball and 30-percent splitter proving his bread and butter is still pretty darn good.

Big night for firsts

A lot of the discourse on social media throughout spring and the first few days of the season surrounded the Kyle Tucker trade and implications.

After all the Cubs paid a hefty price to the Houston Astros for the right fielder – All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski and 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith. Paredes became the heir apparent to Alex Bregman at the hot corner, Wesneski is in their Opening Day rotation and Smith had a breakthrough spring and made the team out of camp after playing just five games above the Double-A level.

The Cubs, meanwhile, were handing the reins at third base to their 2023 first-round pick Shaw and hoping and expecting Tucker to be a game-changing bat. The panic on social media set in when Shaw started spring hurt, made the team at a new position and Tucker was 3-for-30 in Cactus League play.

Saturday night, they both showcased why the Cubs put their faith in them. Both hit their first home runs with the team – Tucker’s a no-doubt, two-run shot to right field and Shaw a pinch-hit, solo blast for his first major-league homer.

Tucker has been that game-changing player in the past and showcased that ability on Saturday, finishing 3-for-4 and was a triple shy of the cycle. Shaw will have his growing pains – there will be plenty of struggles as a rookie in the major leagues – but the Cubs believe in his offense and Saturday was a tease of what he can do.