| Hideki Irabu | |
|---|---|
 Irabu pitching for theLong Beach Armada | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1969-05-05)5 May 1969 Hirara, Okinawa,Japan | |
| Died: 27 July 2011(2011-07-27) (aged 42) Rancho Palos Verdes, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| NPB: 7 May, 1988, for the Lotte Orions | |
| MLB: 10 July, 1997, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: 12 July, 2002, for the Texas Rangers | |
| NPB: 11 June, 2004, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 72–69 |
| Earned run average | 3.55 |
| Strikeouts | 1,282 |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 34–35 |
| Earned run average | 5.15 |
| Strikeouts | 405 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Hideki Irabu (伊良部 秀輝,Irabu Hideki, 5 May 1969 – 27 July 2011) was a Japanese professionalbaseball player of American and Japanese mixed ancestry. He played professionally in both Japan and the United States. Irabu played for theLotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines andHanshin Tigers ofNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and for theNew York Yankees,Montreal Expos, andTexas Rangers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).
Irabu debuted in NPB in 1988 and played for the Marines through the 1996 season. Desiring to play in MLB, the Marines sold Irabu to theSan Diego Padres, with whom they had a working arrangement, despite Irabu's desire to play for the Yankees. When Irabu refused to play for San Diego, they traded him to the Yankees, and the aftermath of the deal led to the development of theposting system. Irabu was a member of the Yankees'World Series-winning teams in 1998 and 1999, becoming the first Japanese-born player to win a World Series.
Irabu pitched in the major leagues through 2002 and returned to Japan with the Tigers in 2003 and retired after the 2004 season. Irabu died bysuicide in 2011.
Irabu was born on 5 May 1969, inHirara (present:Miyakojima),[1]Okinawa, Japan (thenadministered by the government of the United States). His father was aU.S. Air Force meteorologist named Steve Thompson, married to a woman in the United States at the time. Thompson, who had been redeployed to Vietnam before his son's birth, briefly visited young Hideki and his mother a year later, but they would not again meet until after Irabu reached the U.S. major leagues.[2] Hideki's mother, Kazue, a native of Miyako, later married a restaurateur, Ichiro Irabu, fromOsaka. Irabu raised Hideki as his son inAmagasaki,Hyōgo Prefecture.[3][4]
Irabu pitched for the Lotte Orions, who later became theChiba Lotte Marines, of thePacific League from 1988–1996. He was known as a high-speed pitcher and in 1993, he threw a 158 km/h (98 mph) fastball againstKazuhiro Kiyohara of theSeibu Lions. This was the fastest clocked pitch in all ofJapanese Professional Baseball (NPB) until 2005, when the record was broken byMarc Kroon of theYokohama BayStars.[5][6]
Irabu led the Pacific League in wins in 1994 (15) and in ERA in 1995 and 1996 (2.53 & 2.40, respectively). He also led the Pacific League in strikeouts in 1994 and 1995 (239 & 167, respectively).[7]
In 1997, theSan Diego Padres purchased Irabu's contract from the Chiba Lotte Marines. The criticisms of this sale from other MLB teams, who wished to bid on Irabu, led to the creation of theposting system currently used by Japanese and MLB teams.[8] Irabu, however, refused to sign with the Padres, saying he would only play with the Yankees. For the negotiating rights to Irabu, the Yankees offered the Padres a choice of one from a list of players includingBrian Boehringer,David Weathers,Chris Cumberland,Andy Fox andMatt Luke.[9] The Padres eventually included him as a player-to-be-named-later in a trade that involvedHomer Bush and Irabu going to theNew York Yankees in exchange forRafael Medina,Rubén Rivera, and $3 million in cash.[10][11] The Yankees signed Irabu to a $12.8 million, four-year contract, and after only eightminor league appearances, the Yankees put him in their rotation.[12][13]
Irabu made his highly publicized debut on 10 July 1997, drawing almost twice as many fans that night as they averaged for weeknight games.[14] He played with the Yankees from 1997 through 1999, winning twoWorld Series rings (1998, 1999) despite only pitching in one postseason game and having no postseason decisions.George Steinbrenner publicly expressed disgust at his weight, at one point calling him a "fat pussy toad"[15] after he failed to cover first base on a ground ball during a spring training game. Steinbrenner refused to let Irabu accompany the team to Los Angeles, but two days later, Steinbrenner apologized and allowed Irabu to join the team.[15]
1998 was Irabu's best season in MLB, featuring career bests in games started (28), complete games (2), innings pitched (173), wins (13), and ERA (4.06).[16] Despite his inconsistency, Irabu was twice named the American League's Pitcher of the Month: in May 1998 and July 1999.
After the 1999 season, he was traded to theMontreal Expos forTed Lilly,Christian Parker, andJake Westbrook.[1][17] He started only 14 games for the Expos in 2000 and 2001, pitching71+1⁄3 innings with a 6.69 ERA and only two wins against seven losses.[16]
In 2002, he signed as afree agent to pitch for theTexas Rangers as a closer.[18] At the end of the year, he was released.[19][20]
At the end of the 2002 season, Irabu moved back to Japan to pitch in theHanshin Tigers' starting rotation for the 2003 season, helping the team win theCentral League pennant for the first time since 1985.[21][22]
Before the 2004 season, he pitched in the 2004 MLB Japan Opening Series exhibition games against theTampa Bay Devil Rays.[23][24]
Over the course of six MLB seasons, Irabu's career totals are 126 games, 514 innings, 34 wins, 35 losses, 16 saves, 405 strikeouts, and a 5.15 ERA.[16] His Japanese totals for eleven seasons are 273 games, 1,2861⁄3 innings, 72 wins, 69 losses, 11 saves, 1,282 strikeouts, and a 3.55 ERA.
In April 2009, Irabu came out of retirement to sign withLong Beach Armada of the independentGolden Baseball League.[25] He posted a 5–3 record in 10 starts, with an ERA of 3.58. In 65 innings, Irabu struck out 66 batters while walking just 19. In August, he announced his intention to return to the Japanese professional leagues, and began playing for the semi-professionalKōchi Fighting Dogs.[26][4]
On 20 August 2008, Irabu was arrested for assaulting the manager of a bar in Umeda, Osaka after his credit card was declined.[27]
Irabu was arrested fordriving under the influence of alcohol on 17 May 2010, inRedondo Beach, California.[28] The press release of his arrest stated he resided at the time inRancho Palos Verdes.[29]
Irabu was found dead in his home in Los Angeles on 27 July 2011. He was reported to havehanged himself.[2][4] He left behind his wife and two children.[30] Irabu's autopsy showed he wasinebriated at the time of his death with both alcohol andAtivan in his system. He was reportedly despondent because his wife had taken their two daughters and left him.[31][32]
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