Former major league pitcher Hideki Irabu has been found dead near Los Angeles, according to the Kyodo News. Police are investigating the death as a possible suicide. Irabu was 42 years old.
Irabu was a star with the Lotte Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines) in Japan before making the jump to Major League Baseball in 1997. He spent three years with the New York Yankees, winning the World Series in 1997 and 1998, but fell out of favour with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Disgusted at Irabu’s weight, Steinbrenner famously called Irabu a fat toad.
Irabu joined the Montreal Expos in 2000 and spent his final year in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers. He has run into legal problems since retiring after the 2002 season — he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a bar manager in 2008 and for driving under the influence in 2010.
Source: National Post
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