The Chicago Cubs will make a subtle but potentially significant change after the All-Star break by firing the interpreter who worked with Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki for his first 2 1/2 seasons in the major leagues.
Toy Matsushita will no longer speak for Suzuki in interviews with U.S. media, a team source said Thursday, an organizational decision to move in a different direction. Those duties, which also include conveying messages from the front office and coaching staff to Suzuki, will be taken over by two Cubs staff members.
Hisashi Masamoto, a longtime Cubs employee who manages the Cubs’ Pacific Rim operations and major league video systems, will continue to assist Suzuki, and Edwin Stanberry, an interpreter for Shota Imanaga, will also assist with communications with Suzuki.
MLB announced Thursday that the Cubs will open the 2025 season with a two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19, pitting two iconic teams against each other on the international stage.
The biggest story in this year’s Seoul Series was the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, but team officials stressed that the Cubs are not in a similar situation.
The Cubs want to remain known as a destination for Japanese players and a place where they can reach their full potential. Masamoto is highly trusted and remained close friends with pitcher Yu Darvish even after the Cubs traded him to the San Diego Padres after the 2020 season. Stanberry has done an exemplary job of highlighting Imanaga’s personality during interviews and helping him integrate into the team’s culture.
At left, Edwin Stanberry walks with Shota Imanaga before the game against the Dodgers on April 5. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
“Intentional” is the word that’s often used to describe how Imanaga has forged relationships with his coaching staff and teammates — on public display when he recited the lyrics to “Go Cubs Go” during a news conference welcoming him to Chicago — and behind the scenes, it included maintaining a certain distance from his translator and fostering a sense of independence.
A rookie by major league standards, Imanaga, 30, pitched one scoreless inning in the All-Star Game. He’s 8-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 17 starts and his four-year, $53 million contract looks like one of the most visionary signings of last winter. He’s also on the cover of Chicago Magazine’s recently released “Best Of” issue.
Imanaga also benefits from the team’s learning curve with Suzuki, who signed a five-year, $85 million contract after the MLB lockout ends in 2022. Suzuki has dealt with some injuries and the odd problem of routinely catching fly balls in right field, but he’s a highly talented hitter and a tireless worker.
But Suzuki’s focus could help improve an offense that has some weaknesses. His blend of power, patience, mental approach and contact skills is close to what the Cubs want in a hitter. Streamlining his communication could be a way for the team to help him feel more confident and decisive.
Suzuki, who turns 30 next month, is a good major league hitter (.811 career OPS) and should be in the prime of his career. His first half of the season (13 homers, 45 RBIs) was boosted by a strong July (.321 batting average, .942 OPS), one of the team’s best performances this season. The Cubs (47-51) need that kind of performance to end discussions of selling him before the July 30 trade deadline.
(Top photo of Seiya Suzuki: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
