Irabu Returns

BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, April 29th 2009, 4:00 AM

Polich/AP
Hideki Irabu's career with the Yankees was eventful, but he never lived up to expectations in Pinstripes.
The fat, puss-y toad is back. Sort of.
Hideki Irabu has restarted his pitching career, signing a contract with the Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League, an independent league out West whose alumni include Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson. The former target of George Steinbrenner's wrath has not pitched in the majors since 2002, but is hoping to pitch his way into a comeback either in the big leagues or his native Japan. With the state of pitching in the majors, who knows?
"He's 39 and the window is probably closing on him to play at the highest levels, so he's making a real serious attempt to get into the best baseball shape possible and show what he could do," said GBL commissioner Kevin Outcalt. "Our league is scouted a lot and we've moved a lot of players. If Irabu does well, it'll be well-known and he'll get an opportunity.
"We hope he comes in and lights it up."
Irabu, who will be 40 on May15, pitched in the majors from 1997-2002 after eight star-studded years in Japan. But he's perhaps most famous in the U.S. for The Boss calling him a "fat, puss-y toad" after Irabu failed to cover first base in a spring training game. Steinbrenner wouldn't let Irabu join the team for its season-opening trip to the West Coast, but later apologized.
Irabu owns a 34-35 record and a 5.15 ERA in the majors. He was 29-20 in three seasons as a Yankee, including two shutouts, and started the 1998 season 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA in his first 10 starts. He finished the year 13-9 with a 4.06ERA, his best season in the majors. But Irabu in pinstripes always seemed like an uncomfortable fit, and the Yanks at times questioned his determination. He was dealt to Montreal before the 2000 season for Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook and Christian Parker.
After pitching in his last major-league game on July 12, 2002, he went back home and pitched several seasons in Japan and later opened up noodle shops in Southern California, where he lives. He hit the news last year when he was arrested in Japan for allegedly assaulting a bartender.
Proximity is one of the reasons he chose the Armada, said Long Beach GM Tony Soares. Irabu's agents contacted the GBL after Long Beach signed ex-Met Jose Lima in March. "They said Irabu had been working out for the last 3-4 months throwing and he was ready to showcase his skills," Outcalt said. "He had knee surgery a couple of years ago, which I didn't even know, and he fell out of sight a little bit, but he's rehabbed."
Irabu was playing in an amateur league in Los Angeles and GBL brass scouted his next start. "He was throwing 92 (mph) and (the Armada) pitching coach said his stuff was nasty," Outcalt said. In most independent leagues, the average salary is about $1,000 per month, plus housing, the commissioner said. The top salaries are $3,000 per month plus housing and "you can safely say Irabu's in that range," Outcalt said. "It isn't any $12million deal."
Irabu's weight was often an issue in New York, especially in Steinbrenner's eyes. Outcalt says Irabu "looks about the same. He hasn't ballooned up. He hasn't turned into anybody skinny, but he's not David Wells out there."
The GBL, which has teams in California, Canada, Mexico, Arizona and Utah, is entering its fifth season. Spring training begins May 10. The 10 teams play an 88-game schedule, and several ex-major leaguers are managers, including Long Beach skipper Garry Templeton.
In the first four seasons, more than 90 players were signed by big-league or international organizations, including 25 last year, Outcalt said. The league is hoping Irabu can offer an attendance boost - the Armada usually averages around 1,500 fans, Soares said.
"There's a big Asian population, so it's a perfect fit for us and it'll give him an opportunity," Soares said. "He knows he's got to prove himself. We're willing to give him the chance."