Former Yankees pitcher Irabu found dead in LA in apparent suicide

Most ballplayers in the USA take uppers on a steady basis. They are allowed.

They haven't been allowed for many years. His troubles were surely not baseball related.

I remember one time I was at Chiba Stadium and Irabu was pitching. And what a pitcher! He threw the ball in various kph ranges ... going from about 80 kph, to 90 kph, to 100 kph and all the way up to 155 kph. And the ball was moving all the time. I think he lost that game 1-0. He pitched his heart out ... but in those days the Chiba Lotte Marine batters couldn't hit anything. By the time Irabu went to the Yankees his arm already had a lot of mileage on it ... thanks mainly to all those close games in which he had to pitch under a lot of pressure here in Japan. Guess he was under a lot of a different kind of personal pressure these days ... and couldn't handle it. Anyway ... a great pitcher here in Japan ... Too bad he had to go the way he did ...

Hideki Irabu-terribly sad to hear of his death. When you consider this guy was pretty famous. Having played in the pros. He could walk into a room and turn heads commanding respect. Terrible shame since with that experience you could do a lot of good for yourself and the community. He must have been deeply troubled. May he rest in peace. My condolences to his family.

Sad news. I had the pleasure of seeing him pitch for the Yankees -- maybe his second or third outing -- against the Oakland A's in Oakland. The Japanese press was out there in force, until he was relieved.

RIP

Sad day for Baseball. I know few years ago, he was drunk in Osaka bar and had punched somebody. He had some problems. He was a good baseball guy, will be missed.

Same age as I am. Man, but I can't imagine - how bad must things have been that he didn't want to keep on at life? That's so sad, for him to have done that, and for his family and friends.

He had grit, and pursued his dream.

98mph fast ball.

RIP Hideki Irabu.

RIP

Not the ending I thought Irabu would come to. I watched this guy pitch way back in the 90's before he jumped to NY. Seemed to really enjoy being on the mound. Overpowering fastball. Looked like it was just another day at the office for him.

Good baseball guy. Helped open doors for a lot of guys to get out of their contracts here. Sad story. RIP.

sad news.

Man, this is so sad. RIP, Irabu...

Man this is horrible. It was good times watching him pitch for the Yankees. I have his autograph on a world series program.

Really sad, that was some depressing news. R.I.P. to the big guy

His wife had left him taking their two young daughters over a month ago.

Sad to see anyone get so desperate pacing around inside their own head to the point that they go through with it. Just reaching out, or even knowing that you can reach out, could make all the difference. RIP

poor guy ... Sounds so lonely at the top. RIP...

Hideki Irabu, a retired Japanese star pitcher...'star' was badly humiliated by J-Media and now also you don't see any reference about his performance in Japan. RIP

LA Times is saying he hanged himself. Too bad.

His udon place in Gardena didn't do so well either... but overall, he was a pretty decent baseball guy. RIP

RIP. Just goes to show you don't have to have a horrible life to live a miserable one. Even those well off, so to speak, can hit extremely low points. It's sad he felt he had to take his own life. My guess is that booze played a big part, as alcoholism can lead to serious depression, anxiety, and all sorts of other problems (not to mention making bad decisions).

At least he had a personality, did his own thing, probably LIVED a lot more than most do here in Japan

RIP. i'm not a baseball fan at all, but i know his name and once he's such a popular pitcher...

a fat toad by George does not surprise me, but I did not even know that he was living out in LA! Anyway try to RIP.

Weird! I was expecting the usual "How can someone be so selfish?" comments, that I often see after a story on suicide. Nice to see a change of attitude!

But yeah, suicides seem to occur whether rich or poor, peacetime or wartime, good physical health or bad physical health. It's difficult to see into a persons mind, and many times it's difficult to express certain feelings that are on one's mind. Help maybe was available, but perhaps he didn't know, or he thought it couldn't help him. Either way, suicide is a sad way to go. R.I.P.

This article tones down what Steinbrenner called him. It was "fat pussy toad." Before you think Steinbrenner was all over the youth lingo, he actually meant puss-filled. Either way, not a very stellar show of support for your players. It was just a spring training game after all--lighten up old man.

Also no mention of how Irabu's stepfather, a restaurant owner in Kobe, told the media how he wasn't the real dad without clearing it with Hideki. Never had a chance to meet his real dad who was an American his mom met in Okinawa (according to the wikipedia entry).

Very sad story--RIP

Truly sad. Too bad he did not seek help.

He may have also had a chemical dependance. Most ballplayers in the USA take uppers on a steady basis. They are allowed.

Poor guy. RIP.

LA is lucky in one way though in that they do not have a train system to disrupt. The disruptions in Tokyo for those new here, are crazy. Favorite method of suicide.