Hideki Irabu, baseball player, 1997-2002

Hideki Irabu

Born: 5/5/1969 in Hirara, Hyogo, Japan

Died: 7/27/2011 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1997-07-10 | Final Game: 2002-07-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 240 lbs

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Biography

Hideki Irabu was a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1997 to 2002. Born in 1969, Irabu gained prominence as one of the first Japanese pitchers to transition successfully to the MLB, playing a crucial role in paving the way for future talents from Japan. He was known for his powerful fastball and distinctive pitching style, which combined speed with a variety of effective off-speed pitches, making him a formidable opponent on the mound. Throughout his career, Irabu compiled a record of 34-35 with an earned run average (ERA) of 5.15, striking out 405 batters and recording 16 saves. While his overall statistics may not reflect the dominance some expected, Irabu's presence in the league coincided with a transformative period for baseball, as interest in the sport grew internationally, particularly from Japan. He played for several teams, including the New York Yankees, where he was part of a championship roster, and his journey in MLB helped elevate the profile of Japanese baseball players in the American sports landscape. Irabu's legacy is marked by his contributions to the game and the cultural exchange that occurred during his playing years.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
34 35 126 80 4 2 16 514.0 547 294 91 175 405 5.15 0

Career ERA 5.15 vs. league average 4.50 across their career seasons — 14.4% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1997 NYY AL 5 4 13 9 0 0 0 53.3 69 42 20 56 7.09 4.39 (-61%) -
1998 NYY AL 13 9 29 28 2 1 0 173.0 148 78 76 126 4.06 4.43 (+8%) -
1999 NYY AL 11 7 32 27 2 1 0 169.3 180 91 46 133 4.84 4.71 (-3%) -
2000 WSN NL 2 5 11 11 0 0 0 54.7 77 44 14 42 7.24 4.77 (-52%) -
2001 WSN NL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 16.7 22 9 3 18 4.86 4.42 (-10%) -
2002 TEX AL 3 8 38 2 0 0 16 47.0 51 30 16 30 5.74 4.28 (-34%) -1821.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
126 28 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 13 0.107 0.138 0.107 0.245 0.0

Career AVG .107 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 59.8% below league average.

Career OBP .138 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 59.1% below league average.

Career SLG .107 vs. league average .426 across their career seasons — 74.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.245 vs. league average 0.763 across their career seasons — 67.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1997 NYY AL 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1998 NYY AL 29 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1999 NYY AL 32 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 WSN NL 11 16 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 0.125 — — — — 0.0
2001 WSN NL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2002 TEX AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1999 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 4.7 13 7 0 3 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1999 ALCS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 4.7 13 7 0 3 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 126 80 13 55 4 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1997 NYA P 13 9 1 5 2 1
1998 NYA P 29 28 6 17 2 1
1999 NYA P 32 27 2 13 0 0
2000 MON P 11 11 2 6 0 0
2001 MON P 3 3 0 5 0 0
2002 TEX P 38 2 2 9 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 126

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1999 Pitcher of the Month July
1998 Pitcher of the Month May

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2002 TEX AL $550,000
2001 MON NL $2,500,000
2000 MON NL $4,125,000
1999 NYA AL $3,125,000
1998 NYA AL $2,925,000
1997 NYA AL $2,325,000
Total Career Earnings $15,550,000