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CHICAGO — New starter Shota Imanaga immediately endeared himself to Cubs fans after taking the stage for his introductory news conference Friday.

“Hey Chicago,” Imanaga said in English. “What do you say? The Cubs are going to win today.”

It was an early clue into his personality as Imanaga, 30, begins his MLB career after signing a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cubs this week. If he pitches well, the Cubs have the option, after his second and third season, to extend that contract out to five years and $80 million.

Known as the Pitching Philosopher in Japan, Imanaga hopes to improve on his game after getting a taste of the biggest stage when he competed in the World Baseball Classic for Japan last spring.

“I’m not a finished product,” Imanaga said through his interpreter, Shingo Murata. “There’s a lot for me to learn. My approach in that way earned me that nickname.”

Added Cubs president Jed Hoyer: “He’s very curious. He wants to get better. That sounds like a perfect match for the Cubs.”

Imanaga is on the smaller side at 5-foot-10 and throws a rising fastball at an average of 92 mph. But it’s deceptive, and the Cubs are hoping it stays in the ballpark, especially when the weather is favorable to pitchers.

Hoyer personally scouted Imanaga in September but knew a deal would probably happen late in his 45-day signing window, which closed Thursday.

“We knew the process had a deadline,” Hoyer said. “It got really serious towards the end of the window. We knew this would come back down to the end.”

The Cubs may have had a leg up in signing the left-hander as he was based in Chicago during his free agent period. He didn’t even visit other cities, preferring to do Zoom meetings. In the end, Imanaga is staying where he began the process.

“I’m very excited to pitch at Wrigley Field,” Imanaga said. “I’m looking forward to meeting fans and teammates.

“Go Cubs go.”

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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