Hideki Irabu (Japanese: 伊良部 秀輝) (May 15, 1969 - July 27, 2011) was a professional baseball player of Okinawan and American mixed ancestry. Irabu's biological father is American, according to the father who raised Hideki, Ichiro Irabu. Ichiro also indicated that his wife, Kazue, is Hideki Irabu's biological mother. Hideki Irabu grew up in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture. Irabu pitched for the Lotte Orions, who later became the Chiba Lotte Marines, of the Pacific League from 1988 to 1996. He was known as a high-speed pitcher and in 1993, he threw a 158 km/h (98 mph) fastball against Kazuhiro Kiyohara of the Seibu Lions. This was the fastest clocked pitch in all of Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) until 2005, when the record was broken by Marc Kroon of the Yokohama BayStars. However, it remains the Pacific League record.
The death certificate for former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu has been filed in Los Angeles ... in which his official cause of death is listed as "hanging ... self-inflicted with… READ MORE >
Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead yesterday in his California home -- and law enforcement sources tell TMZ, it appears he committed suicide by hanging himself. We're told… READ MORE >
