Photo: mark6mauno / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Irabu fascinates me less for his stat line than for what he represented: a flamethrowing kid from Okinawa who forced his way onto the New York stage when very few Japanese pitchers dared. The media painted him as volatile, but I read that as a fierce, almost stubborn faith in his own arm. He bounced between Japan and the majors, never quite settling, and his early death at 42 lends his story a melancholy weight. To me he's a reminder that talent and temperament often travel together, and that being misunderstood is sometimes the price of going first.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Hideki Irabu
- Name (Japanese)
- 伊良部秀輝
- Reading
- 不明
- Born
- May 5, 1969 – July 27, 2011
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rooster
- Origin
- Koza, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 193 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Jinsei Gakuen High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E8%89%AF%E9%83%A8%E7%A7%80%E8%BC%9D
Frequently asked questions
When was Hideki Irabu born?
May 5, 1969 – July 27, 2011.
Where is Hideki Irabu from?
Hideki Irabu is from Koza, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
What does Hideki Irabu do?
Hideki Irabu works as baseball player.
How tall is Hideki Irabu?
Hideki Irabu is 193 cm.
Baseball player — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.