This is what happens when the Cubs are off to their best start at home since 1923.
A Japanese player, Shota Imanaga, is asked Thursday about a Chinese concept that some new-age American home buyers factor into their decision whether they’re buying the right house.
Feng Shui, as defined by the National Geographic Society, is the “ancient Chinese art of arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance in a way that will bring peace and prosperity.’’
So whaddya think, Shota? You just pitched the Cubs to an 8-3 win over the Reds, the team’s ninth straight overall and 15th straight win at home. After sweeping four straight from the Reds, the first three wins by walkoff, the Cubs are 18-5 in this antique edifice. How would you rate the Feng Shui (pronounced feng shway) of the Friendly Confines?
Does first place in the National League Central and a 26-12 record, which matches the Yankees and Braves for best record in the majors, qualify as peace and prosperity?
After a few seconds of translator Edwin Stanberry explaining the question to him, Shota offered his answer.
“I’m not the type of person to believe in something that I can’t physically see,’’ he said, “but I feel like at Wrigley there’s this, like, power you can’t see, but you can kind of feel. With the fans and the cheering, you know the other team, they feel the pressure when they’re on the mound or up to bat. And then on the other side, when we’re up to bat or 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.’’
So, now that we’ve dipped into the mystic, let’s switch back to the brick and mortar of this latest Cubs victory. In six innings, Imanaga struck out 10 Reds, matching his season high. They swung and missed half of the 28 splitters he threw, and 22 of the 99 pitches he threw overal
