TOKYO, July 29 (Reuters) - Japanese baseball was left stunned on Friday by the news that former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu had died of apparent suicide at his home in the Los Angeles area.
“It’s a shame. He was still so young,” Murakami told Reuters.
The 42-year-old Irabu was found dead at his house in the wealthy Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. Police said the case was being investigated as a suicide.
“He was such a dominant pitcher for (Japanese club Chiba) Lotte (Marines),” said Murakami. “But he seemed to lose his way once he went to the Yankees.
“His performances dropped and he had trouble with management. Perhaps they expected more from him as he arrived as one of the best pitchers in the world.”
Irabu, a starter for the Yankees in the late 1990s, was once called a “fat toad” by late owner George Steinbrenner.
“He still won two World Series rings—Barry Bonds doesn’t have one,” said Murakami, the original Japanese trailblazer who played for the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s.
“When I went to America we didn’t have interpreters so my team mates helped me. Irabu didn’t need to communicate on that level which led to problems.
“He went to America, got rich and didn’t seem to make as much effort in practice. He didn’t really do himself justice in the major leagues.”
Irabu’s exit from his country led to the setting up of the posting system which allows MLB teams to sign Japanese players before they become free agents.
Ichiro Suzuki(notes) and Daisuke Matsuzaka(notes) are among the Japanese players who have gone to the U.S. under the system.
“I’m shocked and surprised,” said former Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui(notes), now with the Oakland Athletics.
“He was a really nice guy with a super fast throw,” Matsui told Japanese media.
Nippon Professional Baseball expressed their shock but said they had no plans to make a formal statement.
Irabu’s former agent Don Nomura paid tribute to the player.
“Hideki Irabu was a fighter,” he said on his Twitter feed. “He made the real history between United States and Japan.”
“He was a wonderful talent. It’s a real shock,” said Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese to pitch in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The 42-year-old Irabu was found dead at his house in the wealthy Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. Police said the case was being investigated as a suicide.
“He was such a dominant pitcher for (Japanese club Chiba) Lotte (Marines),” said Murakami. “But he seemed to lose his way once he went to the Yankees.
“His performances dropped and he had trouble with management. Perhaps they expected more from him as he arrived as one of the best pitchers in the world.”
Irabu, a starter for the Yankees in the late 1990s, was once called a “fat toad” by late owner George Steinbrenner.
“He still won two World Series rings—Barry Bonds doesn’t have one,” said Murakami, the original Japanese trailblazer who played for the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s.
“When I went to America we didn’t have interpreters so my team mates helped me. Irabu didn’t need to communicate on that level which led to problems.
“He went to America, got rich and didn’t seem to make as much effort in practice. He didn’t really do himself justice in the major leagues.”
Irabu’s exit from his country led to the setting up of the posting system which allows MLB teams to sign Japanese players before they become free agents.
Ichiro Suzuki(notes) and Daisuke Matsuzaka(notes) are among the Japanese players who have gone to the U.S. under the system.
“I’m shocked and surprised,” said former Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui(notes), now with the Oakland Athletics.
“He was a really nice guy with a super fast throw,” Matsui told Japanese media.
Nippon Professional Baseball expressed their shock but said they had no plans to make a formal statement.
Irabu’s former agent Don Nomura paid tribute to the player.
“Hideki Irabu was a fighter,” he said on his Twitter feed. “He made the real history between United States and Japan.”
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