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Hideki Irabu, former Yankees pitcher, found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes
27 Feb 2002: Hideki Irabu of the Texas Rangers poses during media day at Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida.
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Hideki Irabu, former Yankees pitcher, found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes
Hideki Irabu, former Yankees pitcher, found dead in Rancho Palos Verdes
Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead Wednesday in Rancho Palos Verdes. The county sheriff says he apparently killed himself. He was 42.
Irabu was billed as the Japanese version of Nolan Ryan when he arrived in the U.S. in 1997, and in his first game for the Yankees, he struck out nine men and got the win. The fans in Yankee Stadium gave him a standing ovation, some bowing with both hands over their heads. It was his finest moment in the majors.
Bobby Valentine, one of his former managers said, “He was a work in progress. It just didn't progress the way he had planned or the way some people planned.” Irabu wound up with a 34-and-35 record and a 5+ ERA for three teams.
Off the field, he was arrested for assaulting a bartender in Japan in 2008 and was arrested for driving drunk in Gardena last year. Valentine said “I think he was one of his own worst enemies.”
The manager said he got a little sick to his stomach when he heard of Irabu’s death.
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