Irabu dies in suspected suicide
Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead at his Los Angeles home Thursday, and suicide is suspected, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported.
The death of the 42-year-old Irabu was also reported by TMZ, which cited law enforcement sources.
Irabu, a star pitcher in his native Japan, arrived in the Bronx with much fanfare in 1997, after signing a four-year, $12 million deal with the Yankees.
The San Diego Padres initially purchased Irabu's rights, but the right-hander said he would only move to Major League Baseball to play for the Yankees. The Padres and Yankees eventually agreed on a trade to send Irabu to New York.
Irabu struggled at times during his three seasons in New York, though he was a member of the Yankees' World Series-winning teams in 1998 and 1999.
Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner famously called Irabu a "fat toad," though he later apologized for the outburst. The insult was triggered by Irabu's failure to cover first base during an exhibition game in 1999.
Irabu went 13-9 for the Yankees in 1998 with a 4.06 ERA. He also played for the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers, and retired in 2002 with a career MLB record of 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA.
Irabu was arrested in May 2010 for drunk driving in Gardena, Calif., about 15 miles south of Los Angeles. He was also arrested in Osaka, Japan, in 2008 for assaulting a bartender.